


Live to Die, Die to Live

by EXOnceUponATime



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M, Non-Fatal bridge jumping for fun, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8812828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EXOnceUponATime/pseuds/EXOnceUponATime
Summary: Sehun didn’t need a guardian angel to save him from all those near-death experiences he casually escaped every day. But suddenly here Jongdae was with his fiery wings eager to protect, to save, to love. So here Sehun was not complaining. A modern retelling of Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the mods for their hard work, and thanks to M always for her support!

“What are you?” the man angrily shouted at Sehun, “ _Blind_?”

Sehun hastily shouted a few apologies before leaping out of the way. He was already late to his meeting, and of _course_ today had to be the day some workers on the street were busy moving javelins…of all things to move… so of _course_ he hadn’t seen them in his haste to reach his office building. Until he had almost accidentally walked straight into them of course. What a morning. 

And when he finally reached his company’s building, he pulled off the scarf he wore to keep out the blustery fall wind, his cheeks rosy red from the cold.

“Sehun, Sehun, Sehun…” his mother exasperatedly said as soon as he rushed into the hallway leading to the conference room. She was waiting outside for him with her arms crossed around her chest, slightly wrinkling the meticulously pressed blazer she wore. “What are you?”

“Late,” Sehun breathlessly said, “Sorry I’m late.” His mother took a moment to scrutinize what he wore today, and while she seemed satisfied with his suit even if it was a _little_ wrinkled, her gaze rested a little too long at his paint-stained hands. Despite trying his best to wash his hands thoroughly after painting, he could not always rid himself of all the flecks of color that dotted his skin.

“No, you’re the financial executive of this company,” his mother, the CEO of this art supplies company, sighed. “So please do try to remember to come on time for the next meeting, alright? You’re not a prince who can just come and go whenever he wants.”

Sehun sighed as he opened the door of the meeting room for his mother before he strode in, pulling out his presentation notes and placing them at the front of the room. He ignored the stares of his co-workers as he thought of how he did not want to give reports that bored not only him, but also the rest of the high-ranking employees that sat around the gray conference room expectantly waiting for him to start.

But what could he do?

“I have the financial reports for this quarter,” Sehun announced as he strode to the center of the room, adjusting his gray tie and the cuffs of his suit before reluctantly beginning. 

At least he was good at his job. He couldn’t imagine both hating and being terrible at his job. What a bleak nightmare that would’ve been.

And so without any further delay, Sehun began his presentation, droning on as he reported what percentage of their profits rose from last quarter, what sum of total products they’d sold, and what was the expected revenue and projections of next quarter. A board of gray faces pretended to pay attention, typing away on their dimmed screens. And honestly Sehun wondered how working for an art company could be so fucking _dull_.

After finishing, Sehun turned to his mother, hoping that she’d be satisfied. Luckily, she was.

“See? That was fantastic! Excellent job, Sehun. I knew placing you in the financial division would work out in everyone’s favor,” his mother beamed as she clapped, jolting the rest of the employees out of their dazed apathy to clap as well. 

Sehun tried to smile in response before he sat down in his black leather chair, swaying slowly as he tried to stay awake while a few more people stood to give presentations he most definitely did not pay attention to. He clicked his dark pen to give him something to do, and hours later, the meeting finally adjourned. Sehun tried to blend into the mass of people trudging out of the conference room, but was stopped by his mother.

“Sehun, can you please look through these documents by tomorrow? We’re meeting with a potential business partner, and everything needs to be perfect,” his mother said as she thrust a mountain of papers into his arms.

“Yeah. No problem, I guess,” Sehun sighed as he took his hands out of his pockets to accept the documents. His mother smiled, kissing his cheek before walking back to her own office. 

Well.

There went the rest of his night.

He was hoping that he would be able to rush home after the meeting so he could finish the current painting he was working on, but _no_.

So for the rest of the night, Sehun looked at more black numbers, more black words, more black graphs and statistical charts all while the gray clock that hung in his office seemed to tick even more slowly than usual and while the gray pen he wrote with seemed heaver in his grasp as he continued working.

And after he read through everything, his mind was dizzy with all the information he had to comprehend. But at least he was finally done for today, right? Before packing up his bags, Sehun remembered to tear off the calendar’s date so tomorrow’s was shown. 

He was still in a daze as he stepped into the elevator that would take him from the fifteenth floor to the ground floor. To his luck, the elevator had broken down, but Sehun was too tired to care that his mother was tearfully crying on the phone as she told him the firemen were coming to save him. And after nearly forty-five minutes of potentially falling to his death in a windowless metal box, Sehun finally walked out of the company building unscathed and unbothered. Somehow, he consciously wondered how he could be walking around when his mind was absolutely blank and still processing all the data he read. 

Vaguely, Sehun stepped onto the gravelly pavement and felt himself raise an arm to hail a taxi.

Vaguely, Sehun remembered looking away from the street and up at the night sky for a brief moment.

Vaguely, from the corners of his eyes Sehun could see an oncoming beam of light that was steadily growing brighter and brighter until –

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there!” someone yelled as Sehun felt himself pushed out of the oncoming car’s way.

Oh. 

_Fuck_.

Since when was he standing on the street and not the sidewalk?

“You know, I was watching you and wondering…Surely this guy is going to realize that he’s in the middle of the fucking street, right? He’s going to have the common sense to take care of himself and get out of the fucking way, right? But no…Damn I’m so glad I pulled you out of the way. Are you okay?” a musical voice said somewhere to Sehun’s right.

Snapped out of his daze, Sehun breathed and turned to gratefully thank the stranger for saving his life, but he found himself unable to say anything as his mouth just dropped _open_. Because the stranger was beautiful…with cheekbones that seemed to be chiseled by the gods themselves, a brilliant smile with the corners of his lips sweetly turned up, and…

Wings?

Wings.

_Wings_.

Shimmering, iridescent wings that seemed to be made out of pure fire. 

The stranger’s wings burned magnificently, chasing away the gray haze of Sehun’s day, and though they didn’t seem to reflect any constant, solid color, more often than not they appeared to be a flickering combination of bright red and ancient gold.

“Are you okay?” the stranger repeated. 

But all Sehun could do was continue to stare with his mouth open because…surely this had to be a dream, right?

“Take care of yourself, alright? Don’t die, alright?” the stranger said, chuckling as his gaze flicked towards Sehun’s awed expression. He spread his fiery wings and began to fly off into the night, but Sehun leapt forwards and ran towards him again without noticing his surroundings.

“Wait!” Sehun called, reaching a hand out towards the winged stranger.

And suddenly the stranger turned around and quickly pulled Sehun back to the safety of the sidewalk as another car honked and screeched loudly, narrowly missing Sehun. 

“Wow…You are so lucky I’m here,” the stranger said, still gripping onto Sehun’s arm as they both panted from the rush of almost fucking dying multiple times in the same day. “It would’ve been such a shame if you died. You look young…there’s still lots of things to see and do and live.”

Sehun only barely managed to blurt out his gratitude before the next frantic, curious question stumbled out of his lips.

“What are you?” he asked, unable to take his eyes off of the stranger and his glimmering wings.

The stranger looked back at him, finally releasing his grip on Sehun’s arm before drawing himself up and proudly placing his hands over his hips. 

“I’m an angel,” he confidently said.

“No way…No _way_ ,” Sehun could feel himself saying, still unable to avert his gaze even though the colors burned into his vision, “Angels aren’t real, and I thought they’d have white wings…not like yours at all.”

“Well, I _am_ one. What else could I be?” the stranger asked, ruffling his feathers flusteredly, causing little cinders and sparks to fly off in the process. 

“Do you have a name? I’m Sehun. Thanks for saving me again,” Sehun said, trying to find something he could grasp onto. A name...Surely this man…no, this _angel_ had a name, right?

“Of _course_ I have a name,” the stranger laughed, “I’m Jongdae.”

_Jongdae_.

“Jongdae,” Sehun nodded, “Jongdae…okay. So what do you do then? What do you do as an angel?”

“It’s complicated,” Jongdae said, his wings almost appearing as if they were slightly drooping at the mention of the question, “I guess I’m supposed to be a guardian angel like my family, but I don’t have anyone or anything to protect.”

Sehun just stared.

“But you just saved me,” he gently said.

“You’re right!” Jongdae lit up, his wings straightening immediately, “That’s got to count, right? I’m your guardian angel, right?”

“Well…I thought guardian angels stay with the person they’re protecting throughout their whole life, but…you’ve saved my life twice now, so that’s got to count,” Sehun said.

“Wow! I’ve never protected anyone before like that. I’m going to be the best guardian angel you’ve ever had,” Jongdae excitedly said, unable to help himself in the moment as he flapped his wings and laughingly spun in the air, sending a shower of little flames flying.

For a brief moment as he watched Jongdae hover in the air, Sehun wondered if he was dreaming…if somehow all the overload of information from work had caused him to hallucinate or _something_. Because there was still no way this was real…

An angel with fiery wings dropping out of the sky to save him? Twice?

But whatever this was, Sehun was intrigued with Jongdae and enjoyed his company, so he continued onwards.

“So I guess you’re just going to have to make up for all the times that you weren’t there before we met, right? Are you going to follow me around like a proper guardian angel?” Sehun couldn’t help but call out.

“Ah…I’m only allowed out during Sunday nights before my boss wants me back, but I can follow you around when I’m free. I’ll protect you part time but care full time. How does that sound?” Jongdae said as he landed nimbly on his feet next to Sehun.

“Your boss? Do you mean God?” Sehun incredulously asked.

“No, don’t call him that or his ego will burst,” Jongdae laughed. 

“Well. Then who is he?” Sehun asked.

“Someone I hope you’ll never have to meet,” Jongdae said before he winced, “Ah. It’s almost midnight. I have to go.”

“Are you okay?” Sehun asked, wondering why Jongdae looked like he was in pain.

“I’m so glad I have someone to look after now…someone to care about. Finally, I’m a real angel,” Jongdae had grinned instead, “See you soon, Sehun.”

“See you,” Sehun couldn’t help but say as he smiled even though there was no way that this really was real.

And as Sehun watched his angel fly off and illuminate the darkness with his blazing wings, he couldn’t help but think that Jongdae looked more like a magnificent demon of the night.

ϟ

Throughout the following week, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Sehun traded the bright bursts of bold red and glowing gold of Jongdae’s wings for the gray dullness of his office and the cheerful smile of Jongdae for the sullen, disinterested looks of his tired co-workers. So honestly it wasn’t completely his fault that Jongdae faded from his mind, as his thoughts became preoccupied with family dinners to attend, meetings stay awake through, and paintings to paint.

A part of him also believed he was still dreaming. 

So on the next Sunday night when Sehun looked up from his work after tapping noises interrupted his focus, there he was again…slack-jawed and looking at the sight with wide, wide eyes. Because there Jongdae was again…fluttering by his window with his brilliant wings as he tapped on Sehun’s office window before waving enthusiastically when he caught Sehun’s gaze. Sehun immediately stood up from his chair and sent papers flying off his desk in his haste to rush towards the window and open it. 

“Sorry I came a little later than I intended today. Work was a little rough, but wow. Nice office you have here…I think it could use a little more color, but it seems nice enough,” Jongdae said as he stepped into Sehun’s office and looked around, the steady glow of his wings casting a warm light over everything. 

“How did you find me?” Sehun asked.

“I’m your guardian angel, Sehun. Wow I love saying that,” Jongdae grinned, “I’m _supposed_ to know you. Now pack your things, and let’s go! I’ve waited all week to see you again.”

Sehun pinched himself to make sure that this wasn’t a dream, but after he decided he was most definitely awake, he eagerly packed up and tore off today’s date so tomorrow’s stood displayed on his desk. But he did not catch Jongdae frowning at the calendar as he threw away today’s date in the trash.

“Wait won’t people notice?” Sehun asked, but it was too late. Jongdae had already grabbed his hand and lead him excitedly out of his bleak office. But as they walked down the hallways of his office building, not a single co-worker spared them even a look. Sehun looked confusedly at one of his co-workers when she looked up from her work, looked directly at Jongdae, and wished them a good night with a smile. 

“Can everyone see your wings?” Sehun curiously asked as soon as they exited the building and stood on the sidewalk once again. This time, he checked his surroundings to make sure some car wasn’t going to try and fucking run him over again. But honestly, there was a part of him that contentedly thought that Jongdae was here, so he shouldn’t worry since he would protect him.

“No, they’re not going to notice anyways,” Jongdae waved off Sehun’s question, “Only those who really know what to look for or are truly paying attention can see them.”

“Then do some non-magic people see them easier than others?” Sehun asked, wondering how he spotted Jongdae and his wings so easily.

“What are you talking about, Sehun?” Jongdae asked as he began walking down the street to nowhere in particular, “Everyone has magic.”

“But…but no one has wings like you! How can everyone have magic?” Sehun asked, walking a little faster to keep up with Jongdae. He didn’t know where they were going, but he let Jongdae lead the way around the city as the blinking glow of the street lights, the store lights, and the star lights flashed above them.

“Some people may have more powerful or more visible magic than others…Like my wings, I guess, if you think those are magical,” Jongdae said as they walked through a crosswalk while people walked past them without even batting an eye at Jongdae’s wings, “But everyone still has some magic inside them no matter how small the amount.”

“Like what? What can humans do?” Sehun asked as they reached the other side of the street safely.

“Some humans can grow the most perfect orange pumpkins ever easily. Others can listen to a song once and transcribe it exactly from memory. And others can grow anything even from the driest seed,” Jongdae said. 

“My mom,” Sehun began to say, “She can bake the most perfect cakes that taste wonderfully every single time without the slightest burn or without even the slightest look at a recipe. Is that her own magic?”

“Exactly,” Jongdae said before asking Sehun to invite him over next time she made cake then, “Magic doesn’t have to be very big, you know. Now what’s your magic?”

“Me? Well…” Sehun began thinking. It was absolutely not waking up early that was for sure…and while he was good at his job, it didn’t feel right or magical or effortless. So what could it be? Painting? He supposed he was more than averagely talented at it, but…

Oh!

“I think I can mix paint perfectly…like I’ll just envision a color, and I’ll be able to replicate it exactly how I want with my paints,” Sehun grinned, feeling pleased with himself, “That counts, right?”

“There you go!” Jongdae clapped his hands together, “But wow, I didn’t know you could paint. That’s amazing! Can you paint me?”

Sehun was just about to answer that yes, of course he would love to have the honor of painting such a beautiful angel like Jongdae, but his words were silenced as Jongdae winced painfully.

“Whoops, I must’ve lost track of the time. It’s almost midnight, so I have to go,” Jongdae said. 

“But you just got here,” Sehun said almost disappointedly until he wondered how he had grown so attached to a person…no, an angel he had met only twice.

“I’ll try to come earlier next time, okay? Take care of yourself since I can’t be with you during the week,” Jongdae said, flying up and hovering above the ground so he could tousle Sehun’s hair affectionately. “You’re such a troublesome human, Sehun. I still can’t believe you almost died twice the day I met you.”

Sehun refrained from telling Jongdae those weren’t the only times he almost died that day.

“I can’t believe you saved my life twice. Are you sure you’ve never been anyone’s guardian angel before?” he asked, tilting his chin up to get a better view of Jongdae fluttering above him.

“I’ve never had the chance before, so I guess I was just lucky to run into you,” Jongdae smiled, “See you soon, Sehun.”

Sehun waved as he sent off Jongdae into the night, his red, golden wings tearing up the darkness and chasing away the shadows. After Jongdae waved back, Sehun turned back and looked around him. After all that walking, Sehun wasn’t very sure where he was. But after taking a closer look at the surroundings around him, he realized with a jolt that somehow Jongdae had safely lead him straight back to his own home. Surprised, Sehun looked back to search for Jongdae, but by the time he found him in the dark horizon, Jongdae was nothing more than a glowing speck in the distance looking like the sun itself.

ϟ

The next week, Sehun was sent to meet with the company’s newest investors and potential business partners.

“As the future CEO, you should forge strong business partnerships now,” his mother had said before explaining that she was sending Sehun instead of herself there.

“As the future CEO, you should be more responsible for meetings and clients,” his mother had said before passing Sehun the address of the building.

“As the future CEO, you should make sure this deal goes perfectly and that you don’t upset this man,” his mother said before pulling him into a supportive hug and wishing him all the best luck.

Sehun still sulked on his way to the building. Meetings and clients were so _dull_ to him…The ride there was supposed to be short, as the building was only about fifteen minutes away, but traffic had slowed him down. His taxi driver apologized for the delay, but Sehun reassured him it was fine as he stared out the window. Today, gray clouds cluttered the skyline, but today, Sehun didn’t notice any of that. 

Today, he noticed the bright red color of a girl’s coat when they drove by a busy street.

Today, he noticed the muted orange of various seasonal squashes when they drove past a farmer’s market.

And today, he noticed an ancient, deep flash of gold when they drove by an antique store.

“Sir, we’ve arrived at your destination. Can you please step out?” the taxi driver said, jolting Sehun out of his thoughts. Apologizing, Sehun hastily paid the driver before stepping onto the safety of the sidewalk as he gazed at the building. 

The building resembled perhaps a skyscraper, but Sehun couldn’t even gauge how truly tall it was because the very top was concealed in the clouds and hidden in a layer of fog. But before today, he hadn’t remembered any buildings as tall as this one in the city. Odd. 

Once inside, Sehun stepped into the magnificently polished marble floors, bowing in greeting as the receptionist rushed out to welcome him, her heels clicking sharply on the floor. 

“You must be Mr. Oh,” she said, “He’ll be with you soon, so please do make yourself comfortable.” The receptionist gestured towards a selection of various chairs for Sehun to choose.

“Just Sehun is fine,” he said before walking towards an armchair with an intricately carved wooden frame. But he did not have time to fully appreciate how soft the cushions were, as someone called his name.

“Ah…Oh Sehun,” a man said, spreading his arms wide in greeting before lowering his hand to extend towards Sehun. The man appeared well-dressed, well-groomed, well-fed, and Sehun instantly stood up to shake his hand. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr…” Sehun said, panicking for a moment because his mother hadn’t told him the name of this man, and the business card she gave was blank except for the address and number.

“Just call me Mr. K. Names aren’t important around here,” he winked before leading Sehun around his building.

K…

“What does the K stand for?” Sehun curiously asked, “Kris? Kyungsoo? Kai? Kchanyeol except the K is silent?”

Mr. K threw his head back as he laughed at Sehun’s guesses. 

“That’s a secret,” he said, and even though his smile stretched out across his face, not a single trace of a wrinkle appeared. And finally after Mr. K showed Sehun all the vases he displayed around his lobby, they finally headed inside the elevator. He seemed to like collecting valuable things.

“I live here on the very top,” Mr. K said as Sehun looked at the rows and rows of glowing buttons in the elevator. Most of them had numbers, but Sehun wondered where the blank buttons lead. 

But after the elevator doors reopened, the two of them exited at the thirtieth floor instead and walked to Mr. K’s large office. More expensive-looking objects were on display, and for a second, Sehun thought the deer head hanging above Mr. K’s desk had long fangs, but when he blinked, the head looked normal again. 

“Oh you paint?” he asked Sehun off-handedly, noticing the little paint flecks on Sehun’s skin as they sat down. 

“Yeah the paints from my company are inspiring,” Sehun nodded. 

“Ah talking business already?” Mr. K said, folding his hands on top of his desk, “I like your straightforwardness.”

“My mother said you’re interested in—” Sehun began to say before he was cut off. 

“I would like to expand my own company and invest in yours,” Mr. K said, “I love high-quality things for my high-quality taste. Your art products are very much my style.”

“Then do you paint, too?” Sehun asked.

“Oh not at all,” Mr. K laughed, “But I always commission artists to paint portraits of myself.”

“Wow. That’s fantastic,” Sehun said, hoping he didn’t sound as unenthusiastic as he felt.

“Maybe I can commission you one day,” he offered before pulling out documents to prove his company would be a beneficial business partner. And soon it was back to numbers, numbers, numbers…So Sehun diligently discussed the terms of such a partnership were it to actually happen. It was okay. He could do this no matter how boring it was. 

Afterwards, Sehun shook hands with Mr. K, promising his mother would be in touch with final negotiations. Soon, he stepped out of Mr. K’s building and made sure to stand on the sidewalk. Yawning, he walked down the street, looking for a taxi. 

“Look out!” someone called ahead from an apartment building. 

Sehun turned his head just in time to narrowly manage avoiding a large TV from falling on his head. 

Well. There went the first attempt on his life for today. 

Unshaken, Sehun looked at the smashed TV and stepped away as he hailed a taxi. Once inside, Sehun realized Jongdae had not shown up this Sunday night at all, and only a few hours were left until midnight. Somehow he felt disappointed and hoped Jongdae was alright until he came home… 

Came home to find Jongdae waiting for him as he sat on the outside steps. 

“I looked all around the city and I couldn’t find you, so I figured you’d come home sometime anyways,” Jongdae said, standing up excitedly as soon as he saw Sehun.

“If you’re my guardian angel, then shouldn’t you know where I am all the time?” Sehun said, unable to help himself as he smiled effortlessly.

“Hey I figured out where you live, right?” Jongdae said, bouncing on the tips of his toes as he waited for Sehun to type in his access code to let them into the apartment building. 

“Hurry up,” Jongdae urged as Sehun entered the passcode wrong by accident, “Who knows who would attack you here in the dark? I might have to fight someone else to keep you alive.”

“Let’s go,” Sehun chuckled as the door swung open. This time he grabbed Jongdae’s hand as they trudged up the stairs. Jongdae took one look inside Sehun’s apartment, turned the calendar resting in the living room facedown with a disdainful look, and flew towards Sehun’s couch where they both eventually ended up resting together. 

“You look exhausted, Sehun,” Jongdae said, turning to face him as he cupped Sehun’s face with his hands and tilted his head as he examined Sehun’s expression and fatigued slouching.

“Work,” Sehun sighed as he sank deeper into his couch and deeper into Jongdae’s touch. His shoulders were dangerously close to the flames of Jongdae’s wings, but he was not concerned. If his couches hadn’t burnt yet, then he wouldn’t either.

“How could you do this if it’s not fun for you?” Jongdae said, releasing Sehun’s face from his hands.

“It’s okay. I still get paid well, and I’m supposed to inherit the company anyways,” Sehun sighed, admiring the way the lights seemed to reflect off of Jongdae’s dazzling wings.

“What are you then?” Jongdae asked, “What are you that you have to live like this? You sound like a prince who doesn’t want to inherit his kingdom.”

“The son of a rich CEO,” Sehun said, “It’s what I have to be. That’s how it works.”

“Well I think you’re a painter who’s working a job that’s strangling him,” Jongdae crossed his arms, “And as your guardian angel it looks like I’m going to have to burn down your company so you can breathe again. So you can live.”

Sehun chuckled at the thought of little Jongdae and his magnificent cinder wings setting fire to his whole company building while security guards panicked and tried to unsuccessfully combat the destruction with meager fire hydrants. But from the fierce expression that glinted in Jongdae’s eyes, never once did Sehun doubt Jongdae’s power and will.

“It’s okay,” Sehun said at last, “I want to paint, but I’m happy if I can still paint at all. You can’t do what you love all the time, you know.”

“Sehun, you have to take risks sometimes for yourself. Some people like you have more freedom than others, and it’s pointless if you’re not enjoying what you’re using that freedom on,” Jongdae said, his wings glowing even brighter and brighter as he firmly spoke. Sehun began to realize that there were many things he still did not know about Jongdae.

“Then what about you?” Sehun asked, “What about your job and your boss? He sounds strict if he keeps calling you back every Sunday at midnight.”

Jongdae looked momentarily shocked at the mention of his boss, but hid the rest of his expression as he spread his wings and flew towards the corner of the room where Sehun kept his canvases and other art supplies. Getting up from the couch, Sehun followed Jongdae as he looked at the scattered paint tubes. 

“Can you show me your magic? Show me how you mix paint?” Jongdae asked as he pressed some tubes of paint into Sehun’s hands.

“Sure,” Sehun said, dropping the subject for now.

“Okay…mix me the color of the first ripe red apple of the fall harvest,” Jongdae said, hovering over Sehun’s shoulder as Sehun pulled out his palette knife and wax paper. 

Sehun dotted a new sheet of wax paper with bits of paint and pictured the exact color in his mind as he folded the paint together, the colors fading until a beautiful bright red emerged from the different pigments. 

“Wow, Sehun…That was _incredible_ ,” Jongdae said, gazing at the paint as if he couldn’t believe that Sehun had mixed it so easily.

“Do you have any more requests?” Sehun asked, wondering how a little paint had already managed to stain his hands. 

“Oh! How about the color of a jack-o-lantern burning up from the inside,” Jongdae said. 

Sehun pictured that orange…that brilliant orange flickering with its festive, carved grin and squeezed out little dots of paint before blending everything together.

“Sehun, you’re _magic_ ,” Jongdae gasped, “How did you do that? Get that exact color?”

“I guess you’re right, Jongdae,” Sehun nodded, feeling a certain sense of contentment and pride in himself, “I guess we all have our own magic.”

“Can you…can you mix the color of my wings?” Jongdae asked a little more quietly this time, “They’re always changing color, but it’s always a blend of like…” But he trailed off, unable to find the words to fully describe those colors. 

“It’s okay, Jongdae. I know exactly how to mix your colors. Can I paint you then? May I?” Sehun asked, already pushing aside his unfinished canvas and picking up a blank one. And in his mind he could see the exact colors that were bursting and waiting to be painted onto the canvas. 

“Oh I’d love that!” Jongdae excitedly said, “How should I pose? What should I do?”

“Do whatever you feel is natural,” Sehun said. 

So Jongdae dragged a stool in front of Sehun’s easel and sat up straight with his wings slightly folded. And he looked so…beautiful with his eyes sparkling, his wings burning, and his smile glowing brighter than anything Sehun had ever seen in his life. Jongdae was _stunning_ , and Sehun didn’t know if Jongdae really was an angel, but if this was what angels looked like, then he was not afraid to die if he could meet beings like Jongdae after he ended up wherever. 

Sehun subconsciously mirrored Jongdae’s bright smile as he started sketching, and feeling inspired, he felt as if his pencil was moving without any conscious direction. Somehow Sehun removed his hand after a while, and there an approximation of Jongdae’s form and likeness was on his canvas. 

But before he could pull out his paints and envision the exact color he would need to even hope to replicate or imitate even a fraction of Jongdae’s brilliant glory, Jongdae was wincing as he staggered off the chair. He had to go….go back to wherever his boss was calling him. 

“That’s amazing, Sehun,” Jongdae’s features softened instantly as he looked at Sehun’s sketch, “You should quit your job to paint. Be free, you know? Live for yourself.” But before Sehun could even muster up a response to that bold suggestion, Jongdae stunned him with a tight hug before he flew off leaving a trail of sparks behind. Long after Jongdae left, Sehun would still feel as if he was pleasantly scorched. 

And when he looked back at his sketch, perhaps it was his own imagination or something else, but the drawing of Jongdae dotted with smudges seemed to smile even brighter than it had before.

ϟ

Sehun thought about what Jongdae had suggested the next week. His job was financially secure and he was lucky enough to not worry about money since his parents were well-off, so money was not the problem if he really wanted to quit his job.

But the disappointment of his mother though.

Could Sehun handle that?

He detested his job, but his mother loved that Sehun was so involved in the workings of the company…

But the lure and promise of a life free from the office work Sehun didn’t think he was fit for seemed so tempting…so tempting, and for once, Sehun sat in his chair, ignoring his work to just think. Perhaps he’d be brave enough to take this risk. Eventually, though, as his mother called him to say she had scheduled more meetings with Mr. K, Sehun just sighed. 

Maybe another time he’d seriously think about at least taking a break his job, but for now there was too much work to be done. There was always too much work to be done, documents to read through, meetings to attend.

“That’s a very interesting combination of colors,” Mr. K said as he met with Sehun today.

“Oh? Yeah…I had a specific image in mind,” Sehun said, glancing at his paint-splattered hands. Even if he didn’t paint yesterday, his hands were still covered in the paint that mixed Jongdae’s colors.

“It’s strange how uncannily identical to the colors of –” Mr. K began to say before the door opened to reveal Sehun’s mother who slapped a large document on the table.

“Ah…I’m so glad everything’s worked out,” Mr. K said as he scanned the document and flipped through the pages. “Your son is especially impressive, Mrs. Oh. He’s convinced me quickly of your company’s high standards and pursuit for the finest.”

Why did Sehun have to be actually good at his fucking boring job, too, _fuck_.

“This is why I’d have no other to inherit the company after I retire,” Sehun’s mother beamed. Sehun pressed his lips together, dread creeping through him as he envisioned all the future boring meetings, boring paperwork, and boring time that couldn’t be spent painting. And suddenly the light seemed dimmer, the clock in the corner of the room seemed grayer, and the document in front of them seemed more terrifyingly absolute. 

“There,” Mr. K said as he signed everywhere he needed to. “I look forward to working with you and your company.”

“Thank you very much,” Sehun mechanically said, strangely realizing he still did not know what Mr. K’s company did. But if he didn’t know….then how did this deal take place? 

But that wasn’t for Sehun to worry about. 

He wasn’t the CEO _yet_ , so he could let his mother worry about the minor details while he worried about finishing work so he could see Jongdae. It would have been nice if he had Sundays off, but of course things could not be the way he wished all the time. But some time was better than no time at all, and Sehun all but ran out of his office as soon as work was done in order to meet Jongdae who was waiting for him outside the building tonight. 

“What are you,” Sehun breathlessly said as soon as he saw Jongdae, “What even _are_ you, Jongdae?” 

Jongdae was entertaining himself doing cartwheels and leaps in the air, sending a shower of deep red cinders and glowing, golden sparks raining across the sky while his wings burned. 

“I told you,” Jongdae grinned as soon as he saw Sehun and swooped down to meet him, “I’m an angel.”

“Are you sure about that,” Sehun said as a stray flame from Jongdae’s wing landed on his cheek. It did not burn him. 

“Yes…What else could I be? Angels raised me my whole life, so I’m just like them,” Jongdae said. 

“Okay,” Sehun said, watching as Jongdae snapped his fingers to cause the wheel of an oncoming biker that didn’t seem to notice they were walking towards him to burst into flames. Okay. Angels totally did that. 

“I don’t know what to ask first,” Sehun admitted as the biker screamed and got off his bike hastily before it completely burst to flames. Okay. Maybe angels weren’t as kind as Sehun was used to thinking. 

“You can ask anything, and I’ll answer if you want,” Jongdae serenely said, looking around for any more possible oncoming threats to Sehun’s safety. 

“Okay…how old are you then?” Sehun asked as they continued walking, “If angels raised you your whole life.” Sehun was used to taking taxis home, but he liked this…liked walking around with Jongdae as the bright colors of the city lights danced around them. 

“I don’t know…It’s kind of hard to keep track of when you’ve been here for ever,” Jongdae said, holding a hand out to make sure Sehun didn’t step onto the street again while they waited for the red light to change. “But I’m sure more than thousands of years old?”

“Wow,” Sehun said, “Are you sure you’re not some sort of ancient deity?” 

“I’m _sure_ I’m an angel...What else could I be?” Jongdae said. 

“You could be an angel _and_ a deity. If there’s anyone that could be both, it’s you,” Sehun said. 

“Then you can be the son of some rich CEO _and_ a successful painter, too. If there’s anyone that could be both, it’s you,” Jongdae cheerfully said, snapping his fingers at a group of oncoming people, causing them to be pushed aside by an invisible force so Sehun could move safely between them all. 

“I thought you wanted me to quit my job,” Sehun said. 

“You’re right,” Jongdae admitted, “But sometimes we’re stuck to things that we can’t leave. So we make the best of our situation. So we live anyways. But if you ever need me to conveniently burn down your company or anything at all, just call me.”

Sehun was once again feeling as if he was missing something, and he was just about to ask before they reached his apartment. Jongdae flew ahead to excitedly press the access code before leading them inside. 

But as soon as they reached the inside of Sehun’s apartment, Jongdae looked so weary after he took one look at the calendar hanging from the wall and trudged to the couch where he tiredly collapsed upon. Sehun was about to join him, but he could see Jongdae’s eyes drooping and fondly let Jongdae fall asleep. Perhaps tonight he would be able to stay? So carefully, Sehun placed a blanket over Jongdae and walked over to his canvases to paint.

Glancing at Jongdae’s wings that moved slightly as he breathed, Sehun squeezed a bit of paint from his tubes and began mixing them together. And sure enough before his eyes, there he had replicated the exact colors he needed. Soon he began painting Jongdae’s wings slowly, focusing as he dabbed his paintbrush gently on the canvas. But in the middle of his progress, Sehun was so unaware of the time that had passed because suddenly Jongdae awoke with a yell. His wings burned brighter as he writhed in distress.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Sehun frantically asked as he dropped his paintbrushes and ran to Jongdae who stumbled to the floor. Without a second thought, he placed his hands over Jongdae’s shoulders and gazed at his expression, never mind that Jongdae was on fire. He wasn’t burned anyways.

“My boss is calling…I was supposed to be back ages ago since it seems I’ve missed midnight,” Jongdae hoarsely said. 

“Don’t go back,” Sehun could only say. “He doesn’t seem like he appreciates you at all. You deserve to work for a nicer person.”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Jongdae tried to lightly say, “I should go now before he gets madder.”

“I’m sorry you were late because of me,” Sehun said, stretching out a hand to help Jongdae off the floor. 

“Don’t be sorry, Sehun. I’d do it again for you anytime,” Jongdae nodded before he staggered towards Sehun’s window and leapt out of it. 

Sehun ran towards his window as Jongdae flew across the dark sky in jagged patterns. And today, tonight, it was as if heaven and hell had inverted onto themselves as flames tore apart the stillness of the bleak, black night.

ϟ

“Tell me more about your boss,” Sehun demanded the next week when Jongdae was with him again. Tonight, he was painting while Jongdae sat beside him, and while normally Jongdae would sit in front so he could glance easily at him for reference, there was no need for any of that now. Sehun could picture Jongdae’s every feature, every curve, every color perfectly and remember how bright his smile was, how golden his wings could seem, and how dustily red his cheeks could flush when he was laughing and living well.

“He’s the worst,” Jongdae shook his head, “Don’t waste your time asking about someone like him.”

“Why? Tell me about him. What does he have you do? I’d burn down his whole house, too, if it would set you free,” Sehun said as he picked up a bit of red paint with his brush. For a second, the color flickered to a shade that looked eerily like blood before it flickered back to the regular red paint he mixed himself.

“I have to sing to this fucker every day…especially at twelve otherwise he can’t sleep,” Jongdae chuckled, “I guess no one can resist my singing.”

“Oh is your singing enchanted? Is it so beautiful it puts people to sleep?” Sehun asked, though he was sure Jongdae’s singing would be as wonderful as he imagined.

“Maybe,” Jongdae shrugged, “But he makes me sing the same song for a whole year, so you can easily see how _tired_ of some of these songs I get.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Sehun scoffed, “Couldn’t he have let you sing whatever you want at least?”

“But he was the one that kept my egg safe until it was time, so I guess he’s not too bad,” Jongdae said. 

“Your egg?” Sehun confusedly asked as he lowered down his paintbrush for a second to think before leaning in again to smooth the paint onto the canvas. 

“Well,” Jongdae said, “I hatched from an egg placed over a fire.”

Okay.

“Okay,” Sehun nodded, “You hatched from an egg.”

_Okay_.

“At least that’s what Jongin and Soojung told me,” Jongdae explained, “They’re the angels that raised me. Who knows if I would’ve hatched if they didn’t place me over the flames.”

“What are they like? Are their wings like yours, too?” Sehun asked, feeling grateful that those angels had taken care of Jongdae so well.

“No, their wings are white,” Jongdae shook his head, “And my job is only part-time, but theirs is full time always. It’s not that hard or interesting of a job, but it’s exhausting for them.”

“Do they ever get breaks like you?” Sehun asked, lowering his paintbrush to pay closer attention to Jongdae’s response. 

“No, they’re the only ones that don’t get breaks. They have to stay until…who knows how long. It’s been thousands and thousands and thousands of years already,” Jongdae said, keeping his eyes on the canvas. 

“Then why do you get a break every Sunday at night?” Sehun asked, placing his paintbrush in the cup of water before turning to look at Jongdae.

“The rest of the people under him actually alternate breaks. One year it’ll be someone’s turn to have a weekly break. The next year it’ll be someone else’s. This year it’s been my turn,” Jongdae said, “So I’m lucky I found you at just the right time.”

“It’s too bad you couldn’t come earlier,” Sehun said, “But what do you like doing the most during your breaks?”

“I want to see the world,” Jongdae said, his wings and expression brightening as he spoke, “I want to see all the new people I missed, all the new foods I missed, all the new things I’ve missed when I was away.”

Away?

“When was the last break you had?” Sehun asked. When was the last time Jongdae had seen the world?

“About twenty-five years ago…So much of the earth has changed from what I remembered,” Jongdae said, “There’s newer technology, newer buildings, newer people. Like you.”

“And your break is only for a year?” Sehun asked, realizing what Jongdae was implying and realizing with a sinking feeling that there were only a few more months until the end of the year. 

Jongdae didn’t respond, preferring to look at the ground instead and press his lips together. A sudden violent breeze from Sehun’s window flew in and caused papers to rustle off of the table and the calendar to fall from the wall. But neither of them had any desire to pick up the fallen dates from the floor.

“No…that’s impossible,” Sehun shook his head determinedly, “I’ll see you again next year. And the year after that. And the years after that. Someone like you shouldn’t be chained to whatever forever. Someone like you should be able to fly as freely whenever and wherever you want.”

“Maybe one day,” Jongdae looked up at Sehun, the ghost of a smile flickering quickly before fading. 

Sehun really wanted to reach out…to say that he would quit his job so he could take Jongdae around the world, he could show Jongdae every little restaurant he liked, he could show Jongdae all the best places to watch the sunrises and sunsets. 

But it was midnight so Jongdae had to leave, and he squeezed Sehun’s paint-covered hands before he jumped out of Sehun’s window and soared off into the night.

ϟ

Sehun was in denial.

There was no way that Jongdae really would be locked away for the next twenty-five years after the year was over. Not when he had just found him.

And while Sehun still didn’t fully believe that their time together was fading fast, Sehun came to look forward to the Sundays even more and more, sometimes even taking multiple Sundays off so they would have more time together. And while Sehun tried his best to forget that time was supposedly ticking down, opting to refuse to tear off the dates off of his neglected calendars, time was very much on the forefront of Jongdae’s mind. 

“Is there anything you want to do before it’s too late?” Jongdae asked him one day, “Like something risky you’ve always wanted to do? I can help you with that.”

“Are you, my guardian angel, advocating danger? I thought you were supposed to protect me,” Sehun said. 

“Of _course_ I’m your guardian angel, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop you from doing anything you want. And if there’s anything dangerous you’ve wanted to try or anything at all you want to do, I’ll help and protect you, too.”

“Dangerous?” Sehun mused thoughtfully, “Anything at all?”

“Anything for you,” Jongdae nodded. 

Sehun leaned back to think. If he wouldn’t quit his job, then what could he risk? 

“You know, when I offered to help fulfill your dangerous wishes, I was thinking more like…swimming with sharks, biking without helmets, or even like…driving without a seatbelt. But this,” Jongdae said, trailing off as they found themselves on the edge of a bridge moments later. 

“Well,” Sehun said, “You’re the one that encouraged this.”

“Still, I didn’t think you were this much of a thrill seeker or a hell chaser, but here you are constantly surprising me. Go for it,” Jongdae said, gesturing to the edge of the bridge. 

Sehun took a second to peek over the edge of the bridge, his mind spinning as the reality of how high up they were sunk in. 

“What? Scared?” Jongdae said, poking Sehun. 

“Watch me do it,” Sehun grinned before he jumped off the bridge. 

And suddenly he fell, plummeting so fast that he could only register the water approaching to swallow him up. He could vaguely see Jongdae plummeting next to him, but before he could dive into the water, he heard Jongdae snap his fingers. 

And suddenly they were standing on the edge of the bridge again.

“Whoa,” Sehun said, taking a few steps to steady himself, the sensation overwhelming him for a moment. 

“How was it?” Jongdae said, reaching out a hand to steady Sehun. 

“How much time do we have left?” Sehun said, looking at Jongdae excitedly, “Do you want to do it again with me?”

Jongdae looked at him with such a heartbreakingly fond expression and reached out to pat Sehun’s cheek.

“For you, we have all the time in the world,” he said even though there were only thirty minutes until midnight, less than a hundred days till the end of the year, and even less months until the end. 

So this time, Sehun took Jongdae’s hand as they jumped, relishing in the swooping sensation he felt before Jongdae safely transported them back to safety. And in between the adrenaline and the thrilling rush of overwhelming emotions, it was so easy to forget that Jongdae was running out of time, that they were both running out of time together. Winter was approaching, and with the arrival of colder winds and bleaker clouds came the reminder that the new year, a new year Jongdae could not see, was approaching.

And so despite Sehun’s best attempts to fend off time and the cold, winter came…insidiously arriving as the warm colors of the fallen leaves shriveled up to darker, breakable colors and as snow began lightly falling from gray clouds again. But for Sehun, the fall colors still flashed around him, appearing around the corners as the café baristas started wearing bold, red Santa hats and the stores started hanging golden, twinkling Christmas lights. 

Sehun did not enjoy the change of the seasons at all because he still had fall in his heart, still had fire in his heart, still had—

“Jongdae,” Sehun asked one cold Sunday evening they spent together, stifling a chuckle behind his hand at the sight of Jongdae flying around his apartment in an attempt to stay warm, “What are you today?”

“A fucking _ice cube_ ,” Jongdae scoffed as he continued to flap his wings, “I forgot how cold winters can get.” 

For someone whose wings were fire, Jongdae did not like the cold and he shivered whenever they were outside, so Sehun had grown accustomed to lending him his sweaters that he cut holes into so Jongdae’s wings could fit through. 

“What are you today now?” Sehun asked moments later, stifling a chuckle behind his hand as Jongdae pulled the oversized sweater over himself. 

“Warm. Today I’m warm,” Jongdae said, spreading out his arms just barely peeking out of the oversized sleeves before wrapping them around Sehun. 

Sehun didn’t bother being careful with Jongdae’s fiery wings, not even wincing as his hand brushed past a few sparks and cinders. 

They did not burn him. 

Fire never seemed to burn Sehun anyways, and under Jongdae’s watch, he tested out the limits of that imperviousness as he stuck his hand in his fireplace. 

“Look at you making my job difficult,” Jongdae amusedly said, focusing on making sure Sehun wasn’t burned. 

“Come join me,” Sehun said, scooting over, “It’s quite warm.”

So Jongdae did, and together they giggled at the absurdity and recklessness of what they were doing. Just because something was dangerous or risky didn’t mean Sehun could never do it…because Jongdae would be there to make sure nothing ever would harm him. 

So sometimes they were this.

The angel and the human. 

“What else do you want to do before I have to go?” Jongdae asked. 

“I just want to spend time with you,” Sehun could only say. Nowadays every time he met with Jongdae he was sadder every time he left.

But always, they were just this.

Jongdae and Sehun.

ϟ

But the end of the holiday season and the arrival of the new year was something Sehun still denied. He and Jongdae took great pleasure in burning Sehun’s calendar so they would not have to be constantly reminded of the dwindling dates. But maybe it was just easier to stay in denial because there was no way he could ever believe that someone he had grown so fond of could leave for the next twenty-five years.

In that time, so much would change.

In that time, Sehun would be fifty.

In that time, Jongdae would still be the same, still trapped, still burning, still beautiful. 

But Jongdae was already resigned to his fate. Perhaps he thought nothing would change since this was the reality he had been living since forever. 

“There’s so much I haven’t seen yet, Sehun,” Jongdae said one day as they were standing on the railing of the bridge. Tonight, they didn’t recklessly jump off, but just stood to watch the sights below. “I don’t want to go back.”

“You won’t,” Sehun reassured Jongdae, “Stay with me. I’ll show you all the cities and little places and things you haven’t seen yet.”

“I can’t,” Jongdae said, turning away from the railing to look at Sehun. 

“You will,” Sehun said, still in denial, “Even if I have to rip you away from your boss and fight him.”

“You’d fight my boss?” Jongdae said, an amused tone edging into his words. What? Was his boss some type of evil demon who could kill anyone with the snap of his fingers? But from the way he seemed able to call Jongdae by inflicting pain on him even far away, Sehun would not be surprised if that were true.

“For you? Anytime. Watch me do it,” Sehun nodded confidently.

“Then I’d have to fight him, too,” Jongdae laughed, “Since I have to look after you.”

“But I’m strong, Jongdae. I can do it,” Sehun stubbornly said.

“Sehun, how many times have you almost died?” Jongdae said, fondly pressing a hand to Sehun’s face as he leaned into gaze at him closely, “You’re so human…so fragile…so full of life.”

“What are you going to do when I’m gone?” Jongdae continued to ask, though perhaps he was just asking himself that question, too. “Quit your job, right? Or at least take a break. You should if it’s not making you happy. Go see the world. Do more things you want to do…safe things only since I won’t be there to save you if you go bridge jumping.”

“Let’s go together,” Sehun said, and suddenly he was the one on fire as he shone with dazzling affection and blazing determination. 

“You and me, watch us live.”

ϟ

Live they did.

At least in the remaining time they had left. 

Sehun had taken it upon himself to show Jongdae all that he could in the city. He showed Jongdae his favorite restaurants, the vendor at the night market that always displayed his fresh, golden honeycombs, the musicians that sometimes set up their equipment to play downtown.

And Jongdae loved it all.

“I want to see more,” Jongdae said one night they wandered the city, his eyes glistening from the reflections of the passing sights and the streetlights. Jongdae marveled at the tiniest and seemingly most insignificant of things, looking awe-struckedly at the glowing lights that hung outside stores that changed color right before his eyes, excitedly tugging Sehun over to eat steaming street food, and taking Sehun’s hand before leading him in a cheerful dance when delightful music played.

“I love everything, Sehun. I want more time to see everything,” Jongdae repeated as they sat on the steps, tired but content from the dancing. He watched people pass by, each on their way somewhere. But Sehun just looked at Jongdae.

“Okay. Next time I’ll show you the museums around here,” Sehun nodded, “they have special late night openings, so we can look at all the art and beautiful things you want.”

“Sehun, you’ve got to tell me all about the things I’ll miss when we meet again,” Jongdae said, not looking at Sehun as he continued staring at the world, “Tell me about the new music I’ll miss, the new people I’ll miss, the new times I’ll miss. Tell me about what you’ll do.”

“Or we can just do it all together,” Sehun said, still hoping this could last.

But it could not. 

Because on the final Sunday of this year, Jongdae explained to Sehun that this would be the last time they’d meet until he was free again. 

“What?” Sehun asked, feeling as if he was falling without anyone to catch him, “Who’s going to protect me from all the world’s dangers?”

“You’ll be fine without me,” Jongdae said, trying his best to smile, “You’ve been fine for twenty-five years, so you’ll be fine for the years to come.”

“No, I won’t,” Sehun shook his head, “What about that time I almost died when the car almost ran me over the first time? The first time you saved me? And the second? And the third? And the tenth?”

Jongdae looked pensive. Conflicted. So Sehun softly but clearly spoke again.

“I will not be if you won’t be here anymore. I really won’t,” Sehun said.

“Sehun,” Jongdae said, his expression falling instantly, “Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon.”

But soon was twenty-five years.

Soon was too much, too late.

“You don’t have to stick around to protect me, but can’t you stay?” Sehun bargained, “I’ll miss you. And you’ll miss the world.”

“I can’t,” Jongdae said, already spreading out his wings. Tonight, they glowed even more beautifully against the direct light of the moon.

“Please don’t go,” Sehun said, placing his hands over Jongdae’s wings even though they were bursting, crackling with sparks and flames. But it wasn’t like they burned him anyway. They never did.

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave yet,” Jongdae said, reaching a hand out to run over his wings before wincing as he plucked out three golden feathers from the innermost parts of his wings. “Here. Take these.”

“What? Why?” Sehun asked as Jongdae took his hand off of his wings and folded the feathers into his hand.

“When you’re in danger…mortal danger…you can burn one of these feathers to summon me, and I’ll be able to come and fight off whatever’s trying to kill you. Hopefully you won’t have to use it though. I’d prefer if you’d stay alive as long as you can,” Jongdae said, keeping his hands gently folded around Sehun’s closed fist.

“Hopefully I’ll use all of them,” Sehun said, “I wouldn’t mind being on the verge of death since I’ll see you again.” He looked so defiant, so deadly, so determined even when they were talking like this. 

“What even are you?” Jongdae chuckled, “Aren’t you human? Who are you to be so unafraid of death?”

“I’m your friend, your human, your Sehun,” Sehun said, “And I don’t want you to leave. You can’t.”

Even now he was fighting, still denying, still refusing to believe even when Jongdae was literally on the verge of flying away from him.

“It won’t be for forever,” Jongdae said softly, “If you stay out of trouble, I’ll see you again in twenty-five years.”

“Fuck that. I’ll see you soon,” Sehun said, but tonight was Jongdae’s last night, so he relented and let him do whatever he wished. But instead of flying freely one last time around the city before he would be caged again, Jongdae stayed. He stayed and gently pulled Sehun down until his head rested in his lap. Sehun felt his eyes droop as Jongdae began to softly run his fingers through Sehun’s hair.

And then he sang.

And then Jongdae sang, and Sehun understood why he was forced to sing every day, every night. Because it was so heartbreakingly _beautiful_ , so alluring, so…angelic. 

But Jongdae didn’t seem like one of those pure, heavenly white angels floating in clouds above the sky singing serenely in some choir. He never seemed like that angel, and tonight, he especially didn’t seem like one as his wings flared up. Jongdae cried burning tears as he tried to keep his voice steady, little drops of fire landing on Sehun. Nothing burned him. 

And as Sehun turned up to look and gaze at that hellishly brilliant sight above him, the image of Jongdae in all his fiery glory and burning beauty was seared into his mind before the magic of Jongdae’s song lulled him to sleep.

Sehun awoke a day later.

He awoke to a new year, a new dreary snowstorm that painted a dull white blanket on his windowsills and a new sense of still vacancy and quiet hollowness that consumed his spirits. It wasn’t as if he had been used to seeing Jongdae every single day of the week, but it was comforting to know that he could endure his week and see Jongdae at the end. So honestly, Sehun held onto that last sliver of burning hope as he trudged through the first week of the year forlornly waiting for Sunday.

The week passed.

That Sunday passed.

No Jongdae.

Sehun tried to be optimistic as he looked towards the next week, desperately believing that _this_ Sunday Jongdae would come, that this _next_ Sunday Jongdae would come back, that these Sundays _ahead_ would come burning up the week to bring him Jongdae.

But no.

So a month passed.

No Jongdae.

Sehun didn’t get used to Jongdae’s absence. 

So he also didn’t ask his mother if he could take the time to find a job he wanted to do. So he also didn’t finish any paintings, always starting new projects but never finding it in within himself to make it to the end. So he also didn’t bother walking around the city at night alone, always waiting inside his apartment if he didn’t have any schedules.

He just…

Went to work. Almost accidentally died a few times too many. Came home. Tried to paint something. Went back to work. Looked for Jongdae only to find that he wasn’t there…all while the grayness of his office space, the bleakness of the white clouds, and the dreariness of the days ahead sank back in and dulled out the world.

Slowly, a third of the year passed.

No Jongdae.

“Why do you look so sad? Is everything alright?” Mr. K asked Sehun concernedly one time after a meeting. The rest of his co-workers had quickly filed out of the room after the meeting had adjourned, but Mr. K stayed behind to check on Sehun. Was he that obvious?

“I just miss someone,” Sehun shook his head, not willing to speak any longer about the topic even though Mr. K had kind intentions.

“I can’t say I relate…Someone just came back to me recently and won’t be leaving for a long time, so I’m pleased,” Mr. K smiled.

“Good for you,” Sehun said in such an uninterested way that caused Mr. K’s smile to droop sympathetically.

“Sorry, that wasn’t the right thing to say,” he chuckled, “When will you see this person again?”

“Soon,” Sehun adamantly tried to sound hopeful though the lie sounded even more devastating when he said it out loud. 

“Tell you what,” Mr. K said, looking down upon Sehun as he spoke. “Why don’t I commission a portrait from you? It’ll help keep your mind occupied, and we can unveil it at a party a couple months from now if it’s up to my standards.”

“If you really want, I can paint a portrait of you, yeah,” Sehun shrugged, “How big would you like it?”

“Pretty big. As big of a canvas that you can find,” Mr. K said, “It’ll go nicely in my art collection. I’ll discuss prices with you later.”

“Alright,” Sehun nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.”

He bought a ridiculously large canvas later that day and almost died a couple more times bringing it home because it wasn’t his fault the canvas was so big he couldn’t see where he was going and what was coming at him.

But when he tried to paint, though he was making progress, he still felt distracted. He wanted to paint _Jongdae_ , not someone else. He wanted to see _Jongdae_ , not anyone else. And there was some part of him that hoped to see Jongdae sitting there, nestled and perched on the chair with his burning wings relaxed as he smiled back at him. But when he peeked over the canvas, there was only empty space.

Honestly, Sehun had become so used to Jongdae’s presence that not seeing him there or anywhere at all was devastating.

But sometimes, he swore he could vaguely feel a phantom hand stretch through the blustery wind to tousle his hair, but whenever he turned around and dared to look, no one was there.

Sometimes, when he looked at the Jongdae he already painted, it looked as if Jongdae was moving and smiling even brighter if possible, but when Sehun blinked, the painting remained motionless, and he was still alone.

And sometimes, when Sehun traced the singed parts of his couch that Jongdae’s wings burned into, he swore he could feel something on the verge of igniting and crackling, but when he pressed down harder on the dark ashes, he still felt nothing. He always felt nothing. 

So Sehun extinguished some of his hope, put his head down, and tried to continue to live all while keeping those three golden feathers hanging from his neck right near his heart. It wasn’t easy to, though, and more often than not, Sehun found himself seeking out danger. Perhaps a part of him wanted to see how recklessly close to the edges of death he could dance before Jongdae would be forced to appear and save him. If Jongdae could come at all. If Jongdae was somehow watching at all. If Jongdae was there at all. 

But maybe death was too busy to pay attention to Sehun. Maybe death lost any records that Sehun was very much still alive. Maybe death couldn’t find it in itself to take a human away from life for ridiculously simple and avoidable things.

Because whatever it was, Sehun’s recklessness always failed. 

One day, Sehun simply stood in his place as an angry dog rushed at him, snarling while his owner frantically raced after him, holding a frayed leash in one hand as he waved desperately for Sehun to _run_ , to go the other way. But Sehun mentally urged the dog on, spreading his arms out slightly to accept whatever would happen. Though instead of biting his throat out, the dog had simply pounced on Sehun and licked his face affectionately. 

Another day, Sehun went bungee jumping alone, hoping to feel even a fraction of the terrifyingly overwhelming rush of adrenaline and emotion he had felt when he went bridge jumping with Jongdae. As he stood on the edge of the platform waiting to jump, vaguely, he noticed one of the wires to secure him was not attached. But one missing wire wouldn’t kill him, right? So Sehun inched closer to the edge and bent his knees. But before he could jump, the worker cried out for him to _stop_ and hauled him back in order to secure his wires properly before sending him off safely. 

And another day, Sehun had not even intentionally tried to seek out danger, but had simply stood on the street waiting for a taxi. He was deep in his thoughts, thinking of anything, anything, anything…except for where he was standing. Vaguely from the corner of his eyes he could see an oddly bright light growing brighter and brighter and brighter until –

A piercing honk jolted Sehun out of his thoughts as he swiftly turned his head to find that a car had just barely managed to screech to a halt mere inches away from him. 

Sehun could not register anything, not the furious yelling of the driver, not his feet moving of their own accord as they walked him back to the safe pavement, not anything except for the beating of his heart that pounded rapidly as if to scream at him, to remind him _you fool…you’re still alive…you’re still here._

The rest of the day, Sehun sat on his couch, stunned and unable to do anything else except pulling out those three golden feathers to look at, marveling at how they gleamed under the lights and shifted colors right before his eyes. He could only use them if his life was threatened, but what was the point since he was seemingly in a state of perpetual danger?

Could they really bring back Jongdae so easily?

Sehun pulled out a lighter and began playing with it. He didn’t smoke, but he had bought it to feel closer to the fire, to feel closer to Jongdae, to feel comforted in the fact that he could light one of these feathers right now and Jongdae could come back. Jongdae who lived one year and died the next twenty-five would come back.

And honestly, Sehun had three. Three feathers that he could have used sparingly over the course of the twenty-five years Jongdae would be gone. He could have used one feather every eight years to spread them out over time, but Sehun could not stand Jongdae’s absence any longer. And before he could change his mind, he flipped open the top of his lighter and impulsively set one of the feathers on fire.

The feather instantly burst into flames, startling Sehun enough to let go as it dropped to the floor. The fire began spreading, growing bigger and wilder as it singed the edges of Sehun’s floor. But before he could have the chance to panic as the fire grew as tall as his ceiling, a figure twirled within the flames, and suddenly there Jongdae was.

There Jongdae was, shaking cinders from his hair, brushing ashes from his arm, and extinguishing the rest of the fire with a snap of a finger.

“Already? You were going to die already?” Jongdae asked, looking around cautiously, already preparing to kill whoever or whatever was threatening Sehun. But as he looked around Sehun’s apartment, there was no one, no thing except Sehun who gazed at him so awe-struckedly as if it had been the first day they had met. 

“Sehun, I told you to use it only in mortal danger,” Jongdae sighed.

“I was. I was in danger,” Sehun repeated.

“Where?” Jongdae immediately looked up and around wildly once again, pushing Sehun behind him. 

“I was in danger of dying if I didn’t see you again,” Sehun said, reaching out from behind Jongdae to hug him tightly. Little ashes and cinders landed on his clothes and brushed against his body from Jongdae’s wings, but they didn’t burn Sehun. They never did. 

“Sehun,” Jongdae could only say before he wriggled out of Sehun’s grasp to turn around and stare at him.

“You look well…not dead yet at least,” he said, smiling at last before launching himself at Sehun with open arms now, “But you could’ve waited to use that feather, you know…I only –”

“You can lecture me later. I just missed you, you know? How have you been?” Sehun asked, lightly resting his chin on top of Jongdae’s head.

“I’m bored all the time, Sehun,” Jongdae said, “It’s hard to go back living there trapped after I’ve tasted the world and caught glimpses of all the things I’m missing. But now it’s someone else’s turn to be free for a year, so I’m glad for them.”

“Is it one of the other angels?” Sehun asked. 

“No, they’re still stuck. They’re the only ones who can never leave. I don’t think they’ve seen what the world’s like since my boss caught them,” Jongdae said. 

“Caught?” Sehun asked, “He catches you? Forces you to stay with him?”

Jongdae couldn’t bear to say the truth out loud, so he just nodded. And that simple, terse nod was all Sehun needed to burst to life, a wild fury kindling and crackling within him.

“I’m going to get you out,” he promised, “I’m going to get you all out.”

“No, you can’t,” Jongdae protested, “He’ll kill you, Sehun. You have to stay safe.”

“Watch me do it,” Sehun confidently said instead.

“No, Sehun, he’s –” Jongdae began to protest. 

“There is nothing dangerous since –” Sehun began to argue.

“Sehun,” Jongdae said firmly this time, “He’s _immortal_.”

“Immortal?” Sehun blinked for a moment.

If Jongdae’s boss was immortal, then he probably wasn’t afraid of anything and wouldn’t take threats on his life seriously. So Sehun, a mere mortal, believed he would win because he had more to fight for, more to love, more to protect. Whether it was his life or Jongdae’s own. Or both.

“That’s a disadvantage for him,” Sehun nodded. 

“It seems I have made a mistake in indulging you in your hell seeking ways,” Jongdae could only chuckle, “You’ve become reckless, Sehun.”

“He’ll die,” Sehun promised, now feeling as if he was the one on fire, on fire with the blazing desire to burn everything to the ground for Jongdae. “But your boss…he must fear something, right? There has to be a way to destroy his immortality.”

Jongdae hesitated for a second before he spoke.

“He has the angels guard the casket where he keeps the golden egg containing his soul. Destroy it and you destroy him,” Jongdae said. 

“Is it really that easy? So why haven’t you tried destroying it yourself yet?” Sehun asked incredulously. 

“Nothing is ever as easy as it seems, Sehun,” Jongdae shook his head, “the last people to try died horrifically and instantly.”

“Yeah. The last person. So I will be the first person to destroy it,” Sehun said. Perhaps all the times he had successfully escaped death had gotten to his head. Look at him now, this human. This mortal so confident in destroying an immortal for this angel. Anything at all for his angel. 

Jongdae took a moment to look at Sehun in all his glowing confidence before sighing, a flicker of hope dancing on his countenance as he dared to believe Sehun would. 

“I need to go before he notices. He’s probably noticed by now,” Jongdae said, his shoulders slumping as he exhaled, as he breathed. 

“Already?” Sehun asked disappointedly, “It’s not been that long.”

Jongdae spread his wings out, preparing to rip out more feathers for Sehun, but Sehun reached out a hand to stop him, remembering how much Jongdae had winced the last time. 

“Don’t,” Sehun gently said, “If you give me any more, I’m just going to use them to see you again. And besides…I’ll figure out a way to set you free so we can meet anytime.”

“Sehun…I’m supposed to be the guardian angel here,” Jongdae said, looking up at Sehun with equal parts fondness and devastation. 

“Don’t worry,” Sehun smiled, “It’s my turn to protect you. I’ll miss you until the next time we meet, but I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” Jongdae said, “And I’ll miss flying freely again.” He looked around Sehun’s apartment before leaping into the air as he flew around one last time. Sehun watched him for a moment as he lit his apartment on fire, chasing away the darkness as the brightness of his burning wings illuminated the way. But Jongdae soon stopped and nearly fell out of the air as he gasped and pointed at Sehun’s painting. 

It was not one of the many paintings Sehun had painted of Jongdae.

It was not one of the many old paintings Sehun had painted before.

It was Mr. K’s portrait. 

“You know him? You know… _him_? Sehun, you know him?” Jongdae said, flying quickly to Sehun before frantically grabbing his shoulders as he waited for Sehun to answer. 

“Who? That guy?” Sehun asked curiously, “He’s a business partner at the company I work with. He asked me to paint his portrait.”

“But that’s…that’s him,” Jongdae said, gripping Sehun’s shoulders tightly as he took deep breaths to calm himself. 

_What_. 

“Your boss?” Sehun exclaimed, his head spinning…All this time…all this time it was Mr. K? This was what he was talking about then…when he said someone had just come back to him for a long time? That was Jongdae? Jongdae who he had trapped?

“That’s him,” Jongdae wildly repeated, his wings flapping distressedly. 

“Koschei.”

ϟ

Long after Jongdae had rushed back for whoever knew how long, Sehun was still immersed in deep thought.

Wasn’t this too easy?

Well at least now he knew what the K stood for. 

And it was not Kris, Kyungsoo, or Kchanyeol with a silent K. 

But rather just…Koschei. 

Koschei. 

Of course life didn’t stop and couldn’t stop for Sehun to sit and think, but work was harder. Meetings were especially hard. Because how was Sehun supposed to calmly work next to and civilly talk to that being…the immortal being who forced Jongdae to sing for him every night and to stay locked away every night for the next twenty-five years and ultimately the rest of eternity. 

Honestly though, this was too convenient. 

Sehun had spent his life narrowly missing the speeding cars, the looming danger, so honestly perhaps it should not have been a surprise when this conveniently slid into his life as well. 

And so after meetings in Koschei’s endlessly tall building, he snuck around in order to find Jongdae. He _had_ to be here somewhere…He had to be. There was no way this building could have more than a hundred levels without Jongdae being on one of them. While he wasn’t able to find Jongdae the first couple of times he looked around the upper levels, Sehun found it odd that so few people worked here…not that he was complaining since it was easy to sneak around if there weren’t any visible guards or workers. But still. Why would Koschei find the need to use this ridiculously large building if barely anyone was here? But the eerie rows of endless paintings and various artifacts kept Sehun on edge, trying to ignore the acrylic eyes that watched him as he opened every door he could find. 

And after unsuccessfully climbing up the staircases between floors only to find nothing, Sehun changed his approach. 

He would not look upwards anymore, up in the building, up in the sky for Jongdae anymore, but he’d look here. 

Down. 

Sehun would look downwards for Jongdae who looked more often like a burning, beautiful bird from hell anyways. 

And that’s when he found it. 

One lucky day, Sehun arrived early to Koschei’s building before their meeting and of course narrowly managed to avoid being run over by a car speedily backing out of its parking space in the basement of the building when he found hidden golden stairs leading downwards...somewhere. But there was no basement level beneath the parking lot, so where was this? What was this? Where did this lead?

Unable to help himself, Sehun put one foot on a golden stair, waiting for something to happen, for some secret trap door to spring out underneath him, for Koschei himself to appear and attempt to kill him. But after nothing happened, he placed another foot on the stair. And so he climbed down, gripping the gleaming banner in anticipation for what would be at the bottom of the first floor. Would there be danger? Would there be Jongdae?

But when he finally reached the bottom of the stairs, he opened the door to reveal a long, dark hallway. There were no lights to illuminate the way, but the long water tanks that took the place of walls and stretched down the hallway itself provided some eerie light. 

An aquarium?

Did Koschei keep fish?

Sehun took a moment to stare at the water, realizing that he could not see the complete depth of the tank no matter how much he looked. There seemed to be nothing there except sand and little clumps of sparse seaweed and coral waving in the distance. But then he looked up from the sand and couldn’t help himself as he let out a little scream as someone…something stared back at him. 

While the tanks had appeared empty before, its inhabitants had curiously swum forward, and Sehun covered his mouth with his hands as he looked at the tank now swarming with people…people with tails…people without tails…people with tentacles…Alright. He shouldn’t have been surprised at this point at such impossible situations, impossible beings, but it was still _shocking_. 

“What are you?” Sehun asked, hoping they could understand him as he mimed expressively as he spoke, “Are you mermaids?” But as soon as he finished speaking, all the beings inside the tank quickly fled from Sehun’s sight, the tank appearing like it had appeared when Sehun first saw it. Sehun was ready to leave them be and keep looking for Jongdae, but soon, one of them swam forward and pressed her hand curiously on the glass in front of Sehun, her dark brown hair softly waving and spreading out around her.

“Not a mermaid?” Sehun asked, interestedly looking at her long fish tail. 

She pointed at her throat and raised webbed hands to form an x. 

“A…siren?” Sehun guessed, but he only received a pensive look as the being raised her palm out face down and shook it side to side slowly.

_Kind of._

_Close._

“Then what are you?” Sehun asked, trying to read the being’s lips as easily as she had read his. 

But no matter how hard he tried to form words from the movement of her mouth, Sehun couldn’t figure out what she was. Perhaps it wasn’t a known word in his language. 

“I’m sorry I don’t understand,” Sehun said, “Some type of siren?”

The being stared at Sehun before nodding slowly. Siren would have to do in this limited language. And finally she grinned, revealing rows and rows of pointy teeth and beckoned for Sehun to cover his ears. He did so, pressing his fingers against his ears as tightly as he could and she indulged in opening her mouth, exposing long, jagged gills along her throat, and let out a sound that sounded something in between a harsh screech and a piercing high note. Sehun’s head still pounded even though most of the noise had been blocked out, and physically he could still feel the vibrations echo everywhere. 

After the siren stopped, Sehun dropped his fingers from his ears and looked up awe-inspiredly. 

“Wow!” he said, clapping as the siren twirled around, pleased with how she impressed Sehun. 

“Can you hear me at all?” Sehun asked, moving closer to the tank. 

She moved closer to the edge until their faces were only separated by the layer of glass before she nodded while moving her lips and her hands around them. 

“You can…read lips?” Sehun guessed as the siren tapped on her lips for emphasis before grinning. 

“Then can you help me? I’m looking for someone here, but I don’t know where he is,” Sehun asked. The siren looked thoughtful before nodding slowly.

“Do you know where I can find Jongdae?” Sehun asked. The siren raised her eyebrows before swimming instantly down the hallway as if something had scared her. Sehun took off with a yell, sprinting as he tried to keep up with the siren’s sleek swimming.

When they finally reached the end of the hallway, Sehun fell to his knees as he panted. And although he could not hear the sound, he was sure by the way the siren’s head was thrown back and the way her shoulders heaved, she was laughing at him. 

But moments later, she pressed herself against the glass and moved into Sehun’s line of vision as she mouthed something. 

_Jongdae._

That word, that name, Sehun recognized instantly. 

But he had problems figuring out what else she was trying to say.

“Wow?” Sehun guessed, only to be met with a shake of her head.

“Whoa?” Sehun tried again, only to be met with a stare.

The siren repeated the last word, slowing down the motion of her lips so Sehun could try and understand. 

“…Why?” Sehun asked, looking to the siren for approval. “Why Jongdae?”

The siren nodded eagerly and crossed her arms as she waited for an answer. 

“He’s my friend,” Sehun said, “And I miss him…We spent such little time together when he was free, but now he’s back here for the next twenty-five years, so I want to free him.”

The siren’s lips puckered slightly. 

_Oh._

The siren nodded thoughtfully, but then pointed at herself forcefully. 

“You, too?” Sehun asked. The siren pressed her hand against the glass, pounding on it a few times as she looked at Sehun a bit mournfully. But she eventually dropped her fist and pointed once at the door a couple meters from them before swimming off in the distance. Had everyone here been stuck here for years and years and years?

But there wasn’t anything else he could ask, not even her name, because she had disappeared. So Sehun simply opened the next door that revealed another dark hallway. Koschei was a rich billionaire and he couldn’t even install proper lighting so what the fuck was the point. 

Though while the entire room was pitch black, several spotlights were staggered around the room so that they illuminated whatever was in front of them. And as Sehun walked past the objects, he realized they were different artifacts and treasures around the room. Unable to help himself, Sehun took a moment to look at the mounted plaques to understand what type of pretentious art or expensive things Koschei liked collecting.

_The fangs of vampires ripped from their mouths ante-mortem._

_The hair of banshees cut from their scalps post-mortem._

_The scales of a basilisk extracted while specimen still alive._

Sehun took several quick steps back from the artifacts around him and reeled in horror at all the things this room held, the remnants of living creatures Koschei most likely killed. Koschei liked collecting anything, it seemed, whether dead or alive. And unable to stand the room that reeked of history and death any longer, Sehun rushed out of the room to find another set of golden stairs waiting for him that he all but leapt down in his haste to escape. 

At the bottom of the stairs lay another black door, and not thinking about what might be ahead, Sehun pushed open the heavy door and stumbled inside. 

Panting, he leaned on the doors that closed behind him as faces turned towards him to look curiously. Beautiful faces. Beautiful faces in a beautiful room filled with porcelain teapots, brightly painted walls, and hanging curtains made of softly flowing, transparent fabric. 

Thirteen young women seated at the long table in the center of the bright room looked towards him before one spoke.

“What are you?” one of them called out, “A prince?”

“He’s handsome enough to be,” another one said before a chorus of giggles burst out.

“I’m…just looking for a friend,” Sehun said as he caught his breath, “Do you know where I can find him?”

“Who?” another one asked, standing up as she left the table. And though Sehun was taller, much taller than she was, he could not help but be intimidated by the deadly combination of utter poise and authority she commanded. She studied him, looking for any sign of trouble he might bring.

“I’m Irene,” she said, stretching her hands out towards him, “Who are you? Who are you looking for?” She was pretty. They all were. But Sehun was here for Jongdae, so he was getting straight to the point. 

“I’m Sehun,” he said, taking her hand to shake politely, “I’m looking for Jongdae. Do you know where I can find him?”

“Jongdae?” she said, looking interested immediately, “He’s beyond this door down the last flight of stairs with Jongin and Soojung, but this door only opens on the hour. You’ll have to wait.”

“Alright,” Sehun nodded, feeling disappointed that he just had to wait a _little_ more.

“Eat with us,” one of the princesses said, leaping from the table to grab Sehun’s arm.

“Drink with us,” another one said, taking Sehun’s other arm as they lead him to the table. 

“So…what are you?” Sehun asked the group of girls seated around him on the long table, “Princesses?” Unlike the previous rooms before him, this room was plunged in such bright light so that every single thing was exposed. From his seat Sehun swore he could probably count the strands of threads used to make the long white tablecloth, the number of paint strokes it took to paint the delicate teacup in front of him, and the number of times the people nodded in reply.

“No way,” Sehun blinked, “Really?”

“We’re princesses from countries…or places that no longer exist. Or at least have moved on without us over time,” someone replied before casually sipping some tea.

“Wait. Koschei’s been keeping you here all this time, too?” Sehun asked. No one verbally answered him, but the mournful look that passed suddenly throughout the table was enough.

“It’s unlucky, yes. But it could be worse,” Irene answered at last beside him, “At least he didn’t keep us alone.”

“Wow,” Sehun said, hit once again with how heartless was, “I’ll find a way to set you all free. I didn’t know it was just Jongdae that he was keeping here, but so many others.” At his words, the princesses excitedly looked at one another and began talking among themselves, their words soon filling the air and echoing around the tall ceilings supported by sleek marble pillars.

“Jongdae’s been here the longest, I think,” Irene said. Sehun had to lean in to hear her amidst all the noise. “Except for the angels. They’ve been here far longer than even they can remember.”

“Angels…But Jongdae’s an angel, too. When did he come?” Sehun asked. 

“We don’t know,” someone said. Sehun glanced at the name card in front of her. _Joy_. “We’re not allowed very often outside of this room. We’re not allowed outside this building at all unless it’s our turn to see the world for a year.”

“This is too much,” someone else shook her head. _Wendy_ her name card read. “Let’s talk about more interesting and lively things. Alright? We don’t have any time to waste since the hour is striking soon.”

And so the princesses asked him questions, what he liked eating, what the outside world was like nowadays, what he liked to do.

“I like to paint in my spare time,” Sehun said, “Sometimes I can’t get the sketches to look exactly like I want, but it’s okay. It’s still fun to me.”

“Oh really?” someone else asked. _Yeri_ was elegantly printed on her name card. “Irene paints, too, and she can sketch anything perfectly in no time at all, but she can’t seem to get the colors completely right sometimes.” Irene glared at her while someone laughed behind a napkin. _Seulgi_ it read.

“Really?” Sehun looked up, “I can mix any color you want! Are you working on anything now?”

Irene abruptly stood up from the table and disappeared behind the curtains for a moment before bringing back a palette and a box of paint.

“I want to mix the exact red of a ripe pomegranate seed, but my attempts have been either too dark or too light or not red enough at all,” Irene said before looking at him hopefully. “Can you help?”

“Of course,” Sehun said, closing his eyes as he imagined that exact shade of red. And then he mixed this, added a bit of that, and suddenly he was smoothing Irene’s palette knife over the exact shade of red she needed. 

“That’s _incredible_ ,” she said as Sehun handed her the palette knife, “Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing,” Sehun shook his head, “Is the hour almost here? It’s hard to tell time in here.”

“Yes,” Irene nodded, “the door slowly opens of its own accord, but will completely open at the hour.” Sehun looked at the door that stood near the end of the long table and sure enough, a little section of the door had slid away. Sehun was sure he could squeeze his body into the opening to see Jongdae early. But before he could try, the princesses began frantically whispering.

_He’s coming!_

_He’s coming!_

_He’s coming!_

Sure enough, the door Sehun entered from slowly opened, the shadows peeking in and chasing away the light. 

“We have to hide the prince,” Wendy hissed as the others fought to control their expressions as the heavy door continued opening slowly.

“I’m not a prince,” Sehun said before Irene took him by the hand and pushed him under the table. Sehun couldn’t see much at all from under there because the long tablecloth that just barely touched the floor shielded him from whatever…whoever was outside.

“Why the fright today? I just wanted to visit my favorite princesses,” a voice boomed. Even from under the table Sehun could recognize his clear and charismatic voice echo across the whole room.

“Joy, your smile always brightens my day,” Koschei said as he walked slowly around the table.

“Wendy, you’ll have to sing for me one day again,” Koschei continued as his voice started getting louder and louder.

“Yeri, your dress looks lovely on you today,” Koschei complimented, his footsteps echoing down the room as no one spoke.

“Seulgi, did you dye your hair? It looks wonderful,” Koschei clapped his hands. And soon he continued calling out the rest of the princesses until he was here.

“Irene,” Koschei said, “That’s a beautiful shade of red. Did you mix it yourself?”

He was _here_.

And suddenly he sounded so near that Sehun could feel his heart beat in anticipation as he prepared for the worst. From his place under the table he could see Irene’s feet cross and twist over each other in distress, but to her credit, she answered unwaveringly. 

“I’ll show you the painting when it’s completed,” Irene said, and Sehun pressed a hand over his mouth, afraid his breathing was too loud.

“Good,” Koschei said, “I look forward to that then. You do know how much I love art and pretty things, don’t you.”

“Will you be staying long today?” Irene asked, attempting to divert the attention away from the paint. Sehun gave up on trying to suppress his breathing and just tried to hold his breath, terrified he was going to get caught.

“No, I’m just passing through. I must check on my angels,” Koschei said, “And my songbird who has a habit of escaping when he’s not supposed to.”

Songbird?

Did he mean Jongdae?

But Koschei offered no answer to his silent questions as he bid the princesses farewell and left. 

“That was close,” Joy said as she lifted up the tablecloth. 

“Are you alright, Sehun?” Yeri said as she reached a hand out to help Sehun from under the table

“Go, you have to go before he comes back,” Irene said, grabbing Sehun’s sleeve as she pushed him towards the door. The rest of the princesses looked distressed, continually looking at the door as if Koschei would return any moment. 

“But Jongdae…he’s there isn’t he? Where Koschei went?” Sehun said, stopping in his tracks to point at the door that was slowly closing. 

“Yes,” Irene said, her gaze falling for a moment, “But you have to go…He’ll kill you if he finds you here right now.”

“Then I’ll come back,” Sehun said, “I’ll come back and destroy Koschei’s immortality so you can all be free.”

“That’s pretty reckless,” Wendy said, “What if you die?”

“Watch me do it,” Sehun shrugged before he heaved the heavy door open and fled, sprinting up the stairs. He tried his best to ignore the contents of the artifacts room, and he allowed himself a moment to breathe as he staggered up the remaining stairs and ripped open the door to the first room. Sehun rested on his knees, leaning against the tank’s glass as he caught his breath. But the siren was back, pounding on the glass near Sehun to get his attention. And when he tiredly looked up at her, she wildly motioned for him to go, to _go_ before Koschei came back. She took off, leading the way, her scales glittering under the light. Sehun took a few more breaths before sprinting after her.

“I’ll come back,” he promised. The siren flashed him a grin and waved.

Sehun was about to leave and run as fast as he could before a head-splitting screech caused him to drop to his knees and cover his head. Inching forward to look back at the crack in the door to see what was wrong, he realized Koschei had come back sooner than he had thought. Perhaps the siren was screeching at Koschei to stall time so Sehun could get away safely, but it was in vain, for Sehun had stayed behind to watch. 

“What?” Koschei said, stopping in his tracks as he stared at the siren distastefully, “What do you want?” 

The siren stopped screaming, only to pound and scratch at the glass angrily. 

“You can scream all you want, but you’ll never get _this_ ,” Koschei smugly said. Sehun watched from the crack in the door as Koschei unclipped a ring of keys from his belt and dangled a golden one in front of the siren. At the sight of it, the siren hissed and screeched louder. But the glass was thick enough to dampen the siren’s screeching, so Koschei just laughed as he covered his ears. 

“Sometimes I think I want to pluck your pretty scales and display them in the next room, but it’s too fun to taunt you like this,” he laughed, “I like reminding you that this key is the only thing that’s stopping you from opening that door inside your tank that leads to the ocean. This key is the only thing that’s stopping you from leaving.”

Sehun mentally promised he would steal that key no matter what it would take. But the siren had resentfully given up on Koschei as she swam away with a scornful toss of her hair. Koschei chuckled once last time, pressing his hand against the glass. But no one else came out to greet him, so he simply began walking towards the exit, towards the door, towards Sehun. 

_Fuck._

Scrambling up from the ground, Sehun sprinted up the golden stairs, tore open the other door that lead to the parking lot and sprinted as fast as he could. He just barely made it safely as he rested in Koschei’s lobby and tried to catch his breath.

“Oh you’re here early?” Koschei said as he entered moments later and caught sight of Sehun.

“Yeah, I think I lost my bag here last time, so I wanted to look for it,” Sehun said, trying to force his breathing to still.

“The one you’re holding?” Koschei asked. 

“Yeah I found it,” Sehun said, raising it up. 

“Anyways, how is the progress on my painting? I think I have a good idea where to hang it. It would look very nice in a place where I keep all my other treasures,” Koschei smiled, though his eyes flickered to Irene’s paint that somehow managed to stain Sehun’s hand. 

“It’ll be done soon,” Sehun said, suppressing a horrified feeling as he knew exactly where Koschei would hang it.

And silently, he vowed to come back and free not only Jongdae, but the rest of the people trapped here like living specimens for the rest of eternity.

ϟ

The next time Sehun went to Koschei’s building for a meeting, he narrowly escaped sudden death twice before preparing himself for whatever dangerous things might happen in this time. Today honestly he didn’t know how, but he was going to set them all free. And after he bid his innocent goodbyes to Koschei after their meeting, he escaped to the golden staircase.

Like usual, the rest of the sirens fled at the sight of Sehun, but one remained. 

“How are you?” Sehun smiled at the sight of the siren who waved and flicked her tail in greeting. 

“I didn’t make it to Jongdae last time, but I’m going to see him today,” Sehun said before pointing to the end of the hallway. “Do you want to go with me?”

The siren grinned, showing her rows of pointed of teeth before taking off without a further moment. Sehun gave her a head start, watching as her scales flashed under the low light of the hallways before he ran after her, the two of them running and swimming together until he reached the end of the hallway.

“I’ll free you, too, alright?” Sehun promised, “I’ll find a way.”

The siren’s eyes lit up under the water and she flicked her tail excitedly before swimming back and leaving Sehun alone. 

And so Sehun tore down the golden stairs and sprinted across the hallway of the display room, still unsettled by the parts of the dead creatures ripped from their bodies and displayed. 

Today, the princesses were so happy to see Sehun, many of them leaping forward to take his arms and lead him to the table. Sehun wanted to see Jongdae immediately as soon as possible, but he didn’t mind spending time with the princesses either. Especially since the hour still had not struck and the door was still closed. 

Upon seeing him, Irene raced back, disappearing behind the curtains before returning and revealing a small canvas painting of still life pomegranates to show him, dark red seeds spilling out of the halved fruits.

“Wow,” Sehun said, looking stunned at the realism and exact likeness the painting had, “This is _amazing_!” 

“I couldn’t have finished it properly without your paint,” Irene smiled, “Thank you.”

And while Sehun enjoyed the next moments everyone chattered together, he glanced at the door and remembered why he was here. 

“Do you know how to kill him? How to get rid of Koschei?” Sehun bluntly asked. 

“We haven’t tried,” Wendy said, “He’s too powerful, and people here have died for less.”

“Koschei likes to keep living things here, but if they disobey too much or he grows tired of them, they end up…in the display room,” Seulgi spoke.

“I unfortunately noticed,” Sehun winced.

“Then we need a plan,” Irene said, “If you’re really serious about destroying Koschei and freeing us… _all_ of us.”

“Look at this mortal human,” Yeri laughed, “He’s going to die so soon, so easily if he goes up against Koschei now.”

“What do you mean _easily_ ,” Sehun protested, “I can do it, honestly! Watch me do it!”

“You should talk to the angels first,” Joy said, “I’m sure they have a better idea of how to destroy Koschei…given what they’ve had to guard all these years.”

“We’ll plan the rest,” Irene nodded, “Just let us know how everything works.”

Sehun promised, and when the door finally opened completely on the hour, Sehun ran off again, excitedly anticipating Jongdae as he ran down the stairs and tore open the heavy door as quickly as he could.

The door opened up to a vast, expansive room with high ceilings. Torches mounted against the walls kept the darkness at bay and gently illuminated the intricately woven tapestries hanging from the walls. Stairs at the front of the room seemed to lead to some sort of a crystal altar, but Sehun couldn’t catch a glimpse of what was inside, as two winged figures stood in front to guard it. 

“Hello?” Sehun called out as he walked to the front. Jongdae was nowhere in sight it seemed, as the only fire that appeared flickered out of the torches lined across the room to keep the darkness at bay

“Do you know where I can find Jongdae?” he called out to the figures, hoping they were friendly. But as he continued approaching the altar, they spread their white wings and flew down to meet him.

“He’s not here right now. He’s been called to sing,” one of the winged people said.

“Oh,” Sehun said, and if he had wings, they would have visibly drooped in this moment, “I wanted to see him.”

“Jongin, isn’t he that human Jongdae’s been seeing?” the other angel loudly whispered.

“Oh! Soojung, I hadn’t thought of that,” Jongin said, looking at Sehun curiously before leaping into the air, flying around Sehun several times to examine him, “How many times have you almost died today?”

“…Two?” Sehun blinked, “Two that I know of?”

“Yeah this is him,” Soojung nodded before stretching out a hand. “It’s nice to finally meet the human Jongdae never shuts up about. I’m Soojung, and this is Jongin.”

“Nice to meet you, too…I assume you’re the two angels that raised Jongdae?” Sehun said, shaking Soojung’s hand before Jongin landed gracefully from the air and pulled him into a warm hug. 

“Yes,” Jongin said, “Koschei wanted to smash Jongdae’s egg because he was curious to see what had happened, but we persuaded him not to.”

“Oh my f—” Sehun said, balling up his fists as further displays of Koschei’s cruelty came to light.

“We didn’t think it was an _actual_ egg because it was so intricately carved and it looked as if rubies were embedded on the shell,” Soojung said, “So we thought that if Koschei really wanted to destroy the egg, we could persuade him to let us just gently place it in the fire and hope that its thick shell would save it.

“So imagine all of our surprise when the egg cracked open and out hatched not a bird, not a dragon, but a little baby with burning wings,” Jongin chuckled. 

“He was cute,” Soojung fondly said, “He was so _cute_ so I didn’t even mind that he screamed and cried louder than any other baby I’d met.”

“What happened next?” Sehun interestedly asked. 

“Soojung wanted to calm the baby, but as soon as she gently plucked him from the fire, his wings were still _burning_ ,” Jongin said, “So she almost dropped him! Could you believe that?”

“Almost,” Soojung threw him a look, “I _almost_ dropped him…But that’s better than what I could say for you.”

“Hey…Hey it wasn’t easy raising him,” Jongin protested, “But I’ve always managed to catch him if I accidentally dropped him, alright? And it’s not like his fire has actually burned anyone he loves. We’ve never been burned by him.”

And soon Jongin and Soojung began telling Sehun how Jongdae grew up…Of course Jongdae was cute, always giggling and shrieking in delight as Jongin and Soojung took turns carrying him through the air before he was strong enough to fly on his own. And when he could fly, he often raced after Jongin and Soojung, reaching for their white, white wings while his own fiery ones burned and flapped behind him leaving a trail of embers behind. But apparently raising Jongdae when he was younger was a _mess_ because if he cried, things caught on fire. If he was happy, things caught on fire. And while young Jongdae never burned them on purpose unless he was truly annoyed or frustrated, the room had to be fortified and fixed countless times because Jongdae would always find a way to burn it down whether it be by accident or on purpose. 

“What an angel,” Sehun chuckled.

“I’d say quite the opposite sometimes, but he is very sweet when he wants to be,” Jongin laughed. 

“No, he’s an angel, too, right?” Sehun asked. 

“Oh no,” Soojung laughed, “Angels don’t hatch from eggs like that.”

“But it’s okay,” Jongin said, “If he thinks he’s an angel, then he’s an angel. And we raised him after all.”

“He’s not really an angel?” Sehun surprisingly asked, “Then what is he?”

“We don’t know,” Soojung shrugged, “But it doesn’t matter. Whatever he wants to call himself is good enough.”

“He said he’s my guardian angel,” Sehun said. 

“There you go then,” Soojung clapped her hands together, “Jongdae’s a guardian angel…This is fantastic news. He’s taken after us after all.”

“Our baby….all grown up,” Jongin pretended to wipe a tear from his eyes. 

“Where are your humans then if you’re guardian angels?” Sehun asked, but he regretted asking since it was _obvious_ what had happened to their humans.

“A lot of time has passed since we’ve been forced to stay here,” Soojung gently said, “So the only thing we’ve been guarding is his egg for all of time.”

“The egg?” Sehun said, looking up at the altar. And sure enough, from his distance, he could see some sort of oval object from the crystal it lay in.

“It contains his soul and keeps him immortal,” Jongin said, “I know…it’s so flashy isn’t it?”

Unable to help himself, Sehun darted up the stairs and peeked inside the crystal altar at the egg. 

“It’s… _ugly_ ,” Sehun couldn’t help himself as he stared at the magic egg that contained Koschei’s soul. He almost expected it to look better than this if it was holding an actual soul and keeping it for eternity, but it was lackluster…dull…and fucking _ugly_. “Don’t you think he would’ve like…taken better care of it? Taken it out to polish a little?”

“He’s paranoid someone would smash it and kill him forever,” Soojung said, “So he keeps it locked up and makes us guard it while he keeps the key with him.”

“If hypothetically…someone were to want to steal this key to destroy the egg,” Sehun began saying as Soojung and Jongin exchanged amused looks, “Do you think you would just…step aside and let them destroy it?”

“It’s been forever, Sehun,” Jongin laughed, “Do you think we actually care about this egg? If you really want to, go ahead and try.”

“Alright then. I’ll free everyone…every single one of you here,” Sehun nodded confidently. 

“Reckless,” Soojung shook her head amusedly, “No wonder you’re Jongdae’s human. When I could actually be a guardian angel to an actual human and not a fucking egg, none of my humans were as dangerous as you.”

“How hard could it be,” Sehun shrugged, “All I have to do is get the key, open this thing since you’ll just step aside, and I’ll destroy the egg. There. There’s the plan.”

“It never is that easy,” Jongin said, “What if you die?”

“Death has evaded me all this time,” Sehun said, “It wouldn’t hurt for it to leave me alone this time, too, right? So watch me do it.”

“Why are you tired?” Koschei asked Sehun the next day he showed up to their work meeting, but he smiled at Sehun as if he knew. But that was _impossible_ since Sehun had been careful to sneak out of the building as discreetly as he could, thinking no one had seen him. He hoped no one had seen him. 

“I stayed up all night to paint,” Sehun lied. Koschei waited for him to say something more, but Sehun had no intention of speaking any more to him than he had to. Images of tortured supernatural beings flittered through his mind, causing Sehun to repress a shudder. What would happen if Koschei grew tired of the sirens? The princesses? Jongdae? Horrific images of new scales and hair and feathers in the display room burned themselves in his mind as he struggled to stay calm and unsuspicious. 

“What sort of colors are you using for my portrait?” Koschei tried asking as he glanced at Sehun’s paint-splattered hands, “Those are very peculiar shades of red and gold.”

“You’ll see,” Sehun said, “It’s my favorite shade of red, so I just wanted to use it.” It was Jongdae’s red after all. 

“That’s _my_ favorite shade of red, too. It reminds me of something I own,” Koschei said, daring Sehun to say something as he folded his hands together and looked at him expectantly. But Sehun just stayed furiously quiet as he pictured himself punching Koschei right across the face. Immortal or not, a decent punch would still be quite fucking painful. 

Regretfully, every time Sehun had tried to sneak into Koschei’s lower levels, Jongdae had not been there anyways. But every time he visited, he began planning with the princesses and the angels.

“We just need an occasion,” Irene said as she sketched out their plan, “An occasion where Koschei would be distracted enough for us to act. He carries a key around with him, and I’m sure that must be it. It must be the key that unlocks his egg.” Sehun briefly remembered the flash of gold that Koschei held up to taunt the siren. Whether or not that really was the needed key, Sehun was still going to steal it. 

“Koschei told me he was planning to throw a party where he’d unveil a portrait he asked me to paint of him,” Sehun said, “Could we do it then?”

The princesses’ eyes lit up at the mention of a party, and instantly, they began chattering among each other.

_What are you going to wear?_

_Do you think there will be dancing again?_

_We can finally leave this room!_

“Perfect,” Irene nodded, “There will be plenty of guests there so his attention will be focused on the party. He’ll no doubt leave guards, but we can handle them.” 

“Alright,” Sehun nodded, “Then the only thing left to do is for me to finish that painting.”

And so he did. 

The canvas was big, but Sehun’s determination was bigger, bolder, brighter, so for three whole consecutive nights, Sehun mixed as much paint as he could possibly mix and painted until his arms was sore, until the sun rose every day, and until he finally _finished_. 

He didn’t have to risk himself carrying that giant canvas through the streets like he had done when he first took the unpainted canvas home, as Koschei insisted on safely transporting it to his building. And when Koschei first saw the completed painting, Sehun for a second forgot that he hated Koschei and wanted him dead because the compliments he received were…nice. It always felt good to be complimented even if the person complimenting was a ruthless immortal.

“What are you?” Koschei gaped at Sehun’s painting, “A painter or a god? This is _incredible_. Why, it looks just like me!”

“Human,” Sehun nonchalantly said as he shoved his hands into his pocket. 

Just human.

Just Sehun.

“Well, _human_ ,” Koschei said, his lips curling at the word, “Let’s throw a party to unveil this, shall we?”

“Perfect,” Sehun smiled. If he had wings, he would have flown into the air and done reckless leaps in triumph.

ϟ

Koschei decided to hold the party in his own building of course. Who his guests were, Sehun didn’t know, but on the day of the party, he showed up in his best suit and watched as guests filed into Koschei’s building wearing silk dresses, strands of pearls, and bright shining diamonds. It seemed that they dressed lavishly and loved luxuriously just like Koschei, too. But at least Sehun blended in well, and people stopped him to compliment on his attractive looks and sleek suit. He smiled politely, but he was here to save.

Sehun didn’t know where Koschei kept a ballroom since he had never seen one in all the times he had crept around the building, but…there a ballroom was on the thirtieth floor of the building. Irene was waiting outside for him wearing a lovely dress and a simple diamond necklace. She opened her mouth as if to recite their plan one last time, but closed it after a couple brushed past her closely. It was too risky to speak here when there were others everywhere, but it was okay. Sehun could never forget. It wasn’t that complicated of a plan anyways. 

Joy would distract Koschei and lure him into a room where Jongdae would sing him to sleep. She’d then steal the key and toss it to Sehun who’d race to the last room and destroy the egg before Koschei woke up. And then they’d be free. Hopefully. Surely. Definitely. 

“Jongdae should be on his way by now,” Irene said as she grabbed his hand and smiled, pretending they were talking about casual things as other people mingled around them. 

“How long does he have to sing so Koschei will fall asleep properly and we can steal the key?” Sehun said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. 

“If Jongdae sings powerfully enough,” Irene said as she pulled Sehun onto the marble center floor of the room to dance to throw off suspicion, “Then just five minutes.”

Five minutes.

Jongdae would have to sing powerfully enough for five minutes so Koschei would be thrown off and thrown into a deep slumber. 

Alright.

“Is he coming now?” Sehun asked, looking around. Even though Jongdae wasn’t here, he couldn’t help but look. It had been a while, and he was tired of hearing about him in passing, through others.

“Yes,” Irene said, “Joy should be leading Koschei out soon with an excuse.” Sure enough, Joy was making her way towards Koschei who was laughing uproariously with his guests, a champagne glass one hand, a fruit tart in the other. Soon, Joy approached him and whispered something in his ear. Koschei looked stunned, immediately rushing out as his face contorted in fury, Joy closely trailing behind him. 

Nice.

Sehun passed the time by continuing to dance with Irene, twirling her around the marble floor, both of them trying to smile even though this was such a tense fucking situation. If anything went wrong, then everyone would suffer. But if everything went right, then that was good enough. And where Sehun had refused to look at calendars for the longest of times, here he was glancing at the clock every few seconds. Five minutes passed. Ten. Where was Joy? Things had not gone badly had they?

But moments later, Joy rushed into the room, breathless as she approached Sehun and Irene. 

“He says hello and don’t die since he’s not here to save you right now,” Joy said as she urgently pressed the key into Sehun’s hands. Sehun didn’t have to bother asking who because he already knew, and the answer instantly lifted a brilliant smile to his face as he tore away from the glitz and glamour of the party before he rushed off down the elevator and into the parking lot, leaving the princesses to deal with the guards in the upper floors. 

But once he reached the siren’s room, he was stunned as nearly twenty guards blocked his path. The siren swam around in anxious circles and tapped the glass frantically when she saw Sehun. 

Sehun had no chance of surviving the guards alone, but he had an idea. That hopefully would fucking work. 

“I have the key! Tell them I have the key,” Sehun shouted, holding up the golden key in his hand. The siren’s jaw dropped at the sight of the key, and she turned her head to shout out unintelligible commands. Within moments, countless other sirens pressed towards the glass, curiously gazing at Sehun. When they looked at the key, they all turned towards the glass and screamed without any further hesitation. Sehun dropped to his knees as he covered his ears, but the guards didn’t react as fast. Soon they contorted in agony and the combined efforts of the sirens’ screeching soon caused a large crack to appear in the glass wall before water immediately began streaming out. Knowing there wasn’t much time to waste, Sehun stepped over the unconscious guards and thrust the key into the cracks of the glass, wincing as the cold water shocked him. 

“I need that back to destroy Koschei,” he said as the siren swam towards him and eagerly took the key. She nodded before rushing off to unlock the door somewhere deep within the tank that would lead to the ocean, that would lead to their freedom. The tanks seemed fuller than ever even despite the water rushing out of the crack as the sirens emerged and began excitedly swimming away. 

Moments later, the siren swam back to Sehun and reached through the crack and held out the key. Sehun took the dripping key, wiped it on his clothes, and waited for her to leave. 

“Go,” Sehun laughed as he made shooing motions with his arms, “Go! What are you waiting for?”

The siren pouted before pressing a hand to the glass and mouthed something.

“Don’t miss me,” Sehun said, pressing his hand to the glass, “I’ll come look for you around the docks alright? Don’t scare too many of the fishermen around here, alright?”

The siren grinned and began to swim towards that door somewhere deep within the tank before Sehun pounded on the cracked glass to catch her attention, not minding that the rapidly rushing water was beginning to pool around his thighs. He forgot! He almost forgot!

“What’s your name?” Sehun could finally ask, and the siren lifted her head above the rapidly dwindling water levels to reply with the first and last thing she would say to him under this building.

“Sunmi,” she said before gleefully escaping towards the ocean with a flick of her tail.

Smiling, Sehun raced down the stairs, across the display room, and slowly pulled open the heavy door that lead to the princesses’ large room. But while the princesses were still upstairs containing the situation and whatever guards were posted around the party, nearly thirty guards were waiting for him with their weapons instantly pulled out. And to his luck, the hour had not struck yet, so the door leading to the innermost room was still shut. 

“Stop right there,” one of the guards called out before Sehun soon found himself instantly surrounded by menacing looking men holding weapons he didn’t really feel like being killed with. 

“Don’t move or we’ll shoot,” one of the guards threatened as Sehun reached into his pocket, his arms trembling not with fear, but with anticipation. Because he had waited so long for this moment…for this moment that he would be able to finally say _hey look I’m about to die_ so he would be able to use this at _last_.

“Can’t I have a smoke?” Sehun casually said even though he had never smoked a day in his life. Without waiting for the guards to respond, he reached into his pocket to pull out a lighter, pulled one of the two remaining feathers free from the necklace he wore from his chest, and set it on fire. 

Within moments, the guards yelled as the feather ignited instantly, bursting into flames that grew bigger and bigger, consuming the ground in a vortex of swirling fire that burned brighter and brighter as every moment passed until a figure casually stepped out of the flames. 

“I was just about to come back for you, but thanks for summoning me here,” Jongdae said as he brushed leftover soot from his clothes. 

“ _Jongdae_ ,” Sehun couldn’t help but shout excitedly. 

“Sehun! You look alive and well. Nice,” Jongdae said, flashing Sehun a grin before turning his attention to the guards, “Now this is an occasion where you were right to call me. Look at all those nasty guns. How _rude_.”

Sehun couldn’t even register what Jongdae said because his heart was beating faster and faster, dancing to an erratic, euphoric rhythm because he had his angel back, he had his angel back. Jongdae was _back_.

But Jongdae didn’t look very angelic as he twistedly grinned and snapped his fingers, causing the men to begin dancing. With another delightful snap of his fingers, Jongdae caused the guards to dance faster and faster and faster. They cried out as they continued dancing such an infernal dance, and the friction of their high speed caused their feet to burst into flames. 

“Let’s go, shall we?” Jongdae said, grasping Sehun’s hand to lead him to the now open door. Both of them ignored the screams that they left behind.

There wasn’t any time to catch up, to ask each other what they had been doing during the time they had been apart, so they communicated silently, holding onto each other’s hands with such urgency and such relief that spoke more volumes than any possible words could in these fleeting moments. Because when they pushed open the door leading to the main room where the angels waited, there was no time to talk, but to just act.

“The key! The key! Sehun, do you have the key?” Jongin said, stretching his wings and immediately flying towards them when he saw them enter.

“I have the key,” Sehun breathlessly said, raising it in the air as it glinted under the dim light. 

Jongin swooped down and frantically took the key from Sehun’s hands before flying ahead, leaving them to catch up. He then tossed the key to Soojung who was just about to jam the key into the—

But she let out a yell as a dark ball of ambient, swirling energy slammed into her hand causing the key to fly away somewhere. And suddenly the voice everyone didn’t want to hear echoed through. 

“And just _what_ do I see here?” Koschei’s voice boomed through as the doors slammed open and as at least fifty guards trailed after him. The key was nowhere in sight. 

“Did you really think you could win?” Koschei’s voice loudly echoed as he entered furiously. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” Sehun yelled, trying to stall for time as he inched around closer to the altar, attempting to search for the key. 

“ _You_ ,” Koschei snarled as he caught sight of Sehun, “You’ve taken advantage of my hospitality, my business partnership, and—“

“ _You_ ,” Sehun mouthed back, “What gives you the right to hold all these beings captive forever?”

“Because I’m immortal,” Koschei said, stomping his foot, “If death itself can’t stop me, then what can? Certainly not _you_ , and don’t _think_ I haven’t seen you sniffing around _my_ relics, _my_ creatures, _my_ songbird.”

But Sehun was mortal, was human, was himself. And death had never stopped him either, so perhaps it was only right for an immortal with only himself to lose to be bested by a mere mortal with everything to lose.

“Hey he’s an angel,” Sehun shouted, wishing the lighting was better so he could search for the key easier, “And you’re going to let them go. And then….die preferably. If that’d be like...a thing. Please take a seat and let go, my guy. It’s been what like…forever, right? So can you at least die if you won’t let them go?” Jongdae started laughing beside him, clapping his hands together in wicked delight. 

“Ah Sehun…My Sehun, my human,” he chuckled to himself as he stood up and brushed himself off, “You make my job so hard since you keep mouthing off and pissing off the wrong people.”

Koschei didn’t like the sound of Sehun cheerfully insulting him and telling him to go die, so he raised his hands and threw another one of those swirling spheres of black energy towards him. 

Now Sehun until now had quite a few experiences with avoiding death, so he wasn’t _that_ concerned with danger. 

But that was before he saw an unquestionably life threatening thing hurdling straight in front of him.

But luckily Jongdae was here. 

So it never hit him. 

Because Jongdae instantly grabbed Sehun and pushed him out of the way, the dark sphere narrowly missing them and slamming into the wall behind. 

“Um…Not that you can’t afford it,” Jongin said as he glanced at the destruction behind him, “But didn’t you just spend a lot to remodel and refortify this place?”

“I mean…he’s going to be dead in a little bit, so does it matter,” Sehun said as Jongdae looked at him up and down for any visible injuries. 

“I’ll _kill_ you,” Koshcei screamed, raising his arms and thrusting them forwards, sending the multitudes of guards running towards them. Soojung and Jongin spread out their wings and raced towards Koschei as they battled him. But perhaps Jongdae should have been the one to fight Koschei, for Jongin and Soojung preferred to fight defensively, deflecting Koschei’s attacks right back at him instead of directly attacking him themselves. 

“Find the key,” Jongdae said, resting his hand on Sehun’s shoulder before flying away to fight the guards. 

Sehun didn’t stop to watch what happened. 

He turned, raced back to the altar and the surrounding area and fell to his knees, feeling around the floor as he looked for the key. The dim lighting didn’t help, and he just barely bent down to look under the altar before—

BOOM.

A dark ball of whatever sinister energy Koschei had hurled in his direction had narrowly missed his head and slammed into the wall behind him.

Alright. 

“ _Hey_ ,” Jongdae yelled at Koschei, causing Sehun to look up, to look at what had occurred. All of the multitudes of guards lay crumpled at Jongdae’s feet, and whether they were alive or not, Sehun didn’t know. Furious that Sehun was almost taken out by not a car this time but by the immortal’s own hand, Jongdae flew away from the guards and launched himself at Koschei.

Soojung and Jongin seemed to be barely managing to counter Koschei, looking exhausted, but with the renewed, blazing fervor Jongdae brought as he crashed in, they breathed and flew higher and fought harder. And what a terrifyingly beautiful sight it was. Koschei’s dark energy swirled around, only to be combatted with Jongdae’s own fire and the angel’s own light, and soon the room became alit with bursts of bright flashes and clashing colors. 

And finally… _finally_ under the lighting of the ongoing fight, he found the key, the key, the _key_. 

Without saying anything else, Sehun sprinted, dodging past any stray debris from the fight, crawling up the stairs until he was there. There was no time to think that this was too easy, too easy, too easy, and without even checking to make sure that he was safe or that everyone was fine, he jammed the key into the lock, twisted it, almost stepping back in surprise at it glowed before the top of the casket dissolved, revealing that egg inside. 

It still looked lackluster to Sehun, and maybe after carrying such a rotten soul forever it had lost its sparkle, its vivacity. 

But an egg was still an egg, so Sehun hoped that all eggs broke the same as he lifted this egg out of the casket, raised it over his head, and threw it down upon the floor. 

For an object that held something so powerful, the egg’s fragile shell shattered instantly, exposing wispy tendrils of something bleak, something black. Koschei bellowed across the room in fury and in panic as the key to his immortality was destroyed. And collapsing in tired relief, Sehun sank to the floor as he gazed upon the smoking black tendrils. 

But the blackness of Koschei’s soul began floating and circling, leaving the shattered remains of the egg until it gathered momentum and hurtled towards Koschei and slammed straight into his body. For a second, Sehun panicked and thought nothing had happened, but then the effects of living without a soul for years and years and years manifested. 

Black veins started bulging and racing throughout Koschei’s skin, and with a snarl, he erupted into a final, piercing bellow that caused the torches around the room to flicker. Soon, his body began disintegrating, black flames rapidly consuming his body. Within mere moments, Koschei’s body had been completely consumed by the black fire. 

No one had any time to breathe in relief and realize that they were all finally _free_ because the black fire began to grow bigger and blacker, burning everything it touched and slowly spreading around the room at an alarming rate. 

“We have to go,” Jongin said, his wings fluttering anxiously, “Let’s go!”

“Jongin, we have to at least _try_ to stop it,” Soojung snapped, already conjuring up some water to direct towards the flames. But the water evaporated as soon as it touched the fire, and the black flames began roaring towards them, undeterred by something as feeble as water.

“Let’s try together,” Jongin said, grabbing Soojung’s hand as they tried to conjure up a more powerful wave of water. Concentrating, they directed the massive wave of water to the black flames. But once again, the water evaporated as soon as it touched the fire, causing Jongin and Soojung to gasp at the fire’s power. 

“Let’s go,” Soojung conceded, grabbing Jongdae’s hand, “Jongin, grab Sehun and let’s go.”

The four of them fled, frantically rushing out of the room as the black flames tore apart the room. Out the door they ran, up the stairs they ran, but at the door above they stopped. 

For this door only opened on the hour. 

Jongin slammed his body against the door, hurtling unknown magical energies at it, but it was still shut. But Sehun wasn’t concerned. He looked at his watch and sighed as there were five minutes left until the hour struck. 

Five minutes. 

They could make it. 

“Do you think if we shouted hard enough, then the big guy would hear us?” Soojung unamusedly asked Jongin.

“I don’t think he’s been able to hear us since Koschei trapped us,” Jongin said, “Would he hear us now?”

“What can he do anyways?” Soojung tossed her hair, trying to seem calm even as the smell of burning ashes and smoke filled the air. 

“Hey,” Jongdae said, glancing at the flames above and rocking on the balls of his feet restlessly, “When you get out, two new human babies are going to be lucky to have you as their guardians. I would know since you’ve taken care of me so long, so well.”

Jongin and Soojung exchanged looks, their countenances falling as they realized. 

“Jongdae,” Soojung said gently, “It was our pleasure. We’ve loved you always.”

“You made our lives better, taken away the boredom of eternity,” Jongin nodded fervently. 

Sehun was watching this scene unfold, still not knowing, still hoping, and even now he was thinking about the things he’d do when he would most definitely make it out of here. Painting seemed nice. Sleeping seemed nicer. Spending time with Jongdae away from this seemed nicest. 

Two minutes passed. 

“I guess I’ll see you again someway,” Jongdae chuckled. Jongin looked down to hide his overwhelming emotions. 

“Is there even time for that?” Soojung crossly shouted, “Jongdae, there’s still—”

“I’ll stop it,” Jongdae said determinedly, “After all, you two should see what you’ve missed for so long, and Sehun should live…live as long as he can.”

“No, there’s time. Don’t worry,” Sehun calmly said, “The door will open and we can rush out together. But Jongin and Soojung looked back at the flames crawling and crackling up the stairs towards him and knew. They knew after Jongdae approached them and kissed their cheeks before turning back to Sehun.

Three minutes passed. 

The black fire sinisterly crept towards them, the golden bannisters melting into molten liquid. 

“Sehun,” Jongdae said, “Why don’t you go take a break from work for a while? Go see the world?”

“Yeah,” Sehun said, “Let’s see it together when we get out of here.”

Jongdae looked at the black fire and looked back at Sehun. 

“Go try all the foods out there, see all the new people, live all the days ahead,” he continued.

“Yeah just watch us do it together,” Sehun nodded. He was calm, he was calm…because even though the fire was black and burning, Jongdae was fire and he was never scared of Jongdae so even now he was not scared. Death had nothing on him. Fire had nothing on him. 

“What are you?” Jongdae gave up trying to be sentimental as he chuckled, “Who are you to be this fearless?”

“Sehun,” the human said, “I’m just Sehun.”

Jongdae didn’t say anything in response to that, but he simply placed a hand on Sehun’s cheek and fondly stared at him, memorizing every tiny scar, every wrinkle, every everything, every part of Sehun. And then he stood on his tiptoes to kiss Sehun’s forehead before spreading his fiery wings and taking off towards the melting metal bannisters that rained golden drops that sizzled when they hit Jongdae’s wings, towards the looming prospect of the unknown, towards the black fire.

And Sehun looked upon this hellishly terrifying sight above them, this brilliantly tragic sight of the angel who would burn himself alive to save a human. 

“Go see the world, Sehun. You’ve stayed alive with me, and you will without me, too,” Jongdae called out, stopping to hover in the air for a moment as he turned back and winked before bravely flying up, his whole body igniting in blazing shades of red, red fire as he burned brighter and flew higher to stop the black flames. 

By now, Sehun realized. 

By now, Sehun looked upwards with a scream tearing out of his throat as he watched those red flames battle those black ones above them as the door finally opened a minute later. 

By now, Sehun reached out a hand as if to say _no_ , to say death would have to go through him first before it could touch his angel. 

But Jongin and Soojung didn’t let Sehun stop to watch and see what would happen, if Jongdae was successful, what would happen to Jongdae. Because despite his protests, they had dragged him screaming out of the room, out of the burning building without Jongdae.

ϟ

Sehun was numb when he watched the fire from outside.

It was such a strange fire…flickering flames curling around the windows….flames waving not because of any wind that was blowing, but as if it was saying hello. Or good-bye. 

Within moments, the fire had destroyed the whole building, and when the fire was extinguished, burning into itself, only ash…glittering piles of black ash remained. Firefighters who arrived on the scene would later call it the quickest, strangest fire they never extinguished. But for now, Sehun fell to his knees, letting out a desperate scream. 

_No. This could not be._

Sehun hopefully waited an hour. And desperately waited another hour. And during the future hours, Jongin and Soojung gently told him that Jongdae was not coming back. It had taken another hour for them to convince him to go home, and even still, it had been Irene, who had to firmly take Sehun’s hand, and the rest of the princesses to all but pick him up and push him away from the remnants of the fire.

And for the rest of the night, Sehun let two angels and thirteen princesses crash in his small apartment because where else could they go? They looked happy to be free, happy to go see the world for themselves once again, but Sehun could only sit on the couch alone. 

He held that last golden feather tightly in his grasp the whole night.

ϟ

The next months saw fishermen marveling at how fish just seemed to magically appear in their boats when they weren’t looking, two lucky newborn humans each gaining loving, excited guardian angels, and Sehun opening a separate division of his mother’s company he headed himself.

He hadn’t quit his job like he had originally planned, but this was a much more agreeable job he actually cared about. Now, he lead the graphics department and designed new packaging and logos for the company projects and products. No one asked how or where Sehun found thirteen incredibly beautiful and talented women to fill his department, but they didn’t ask. 

They did ask, however, why Sehun looked more forlorn than usual, why Sehun didn’t smile as much as usual, why Sehun looked so lost. 

“Do you want something to eat?” his mother asked after one meeting after Sehun could not manage to hide his devastated expression. He had quietly accepted and spent lunch with his mother as they ate at a nearby café. It was filling, but Sehun was still left with a ravenous desire for someone who was not here.

“Do you want to take a break with us?” Jongin and Soojung asked Sehun concernedly a different day. He had quietly declined and spent the rest of the day sitting in silence, attempting to work as he listened while they spoke excitedly about how precious the babies they protected were. It was lovely, but Sehun would have enjoyed sharing the experience and time with someone who was still not here. 

“Do you want to paint with me today?” Irene had gently asked another day, realizing why Sehun looked so sad. He had quietly accepted her proposal and spent the rest of the day painting with her. It was nice, but Sehun was still left with a hollow feeling…a feeling of wanting something he could not hope to ever recreate with his bare hands. 

Because what Sehun wanted the most was Jongdae, Jongdae, _Jongdae_.

And so he wore the last remaining feather around his neck tucked under his shirt so he could have a piece of Jongdae with him all the time. It wasn’t fair that Jongdae had burned himself to save everyone else, to save Sehun. Sehun’s recklessness was supposed to save Jongdae, not make Jongdae save him. 

At least everyone was free though. 

Free at the cost of Jongdae.

And one day Sehun sat on that same bridge at a ridiculously late hour where no cars were rushing past him, wanting to try one last attempt. 

One last attempt before he gave up for good and mourned completely.

Pulling out the feather, Sehun held it in his hands, careful not to drop it into the water below. Under the glow of the streetlights, the feather shimmered and sparkled. 

If he wished hard enough, could it bring Jongdae back?

It would not hurt to try, but Sehun didn’t want to lose the last part of Jongdae if it didn’t work. But without any more hesitation and before he could change his mind, Sehun pulled out the lighter and lit the feather on fire. For the first time it was warm, but still did it not burn him. Sehun gently placed the feather on the cement floor and prayed and hoped with all his might as he watched crackling flames quickly consume the feather. 

But this fire unlike the two previous times did not grow and stretch out grand and magnificent before him. This fire crackled softly, teasing Sehun as it only reached his knees, so Sehun slowly watched with a sinking heart as the fire just slowly burned the feather into glittering ashes. Frustrated, Sehun felt tears rush to his eyes as he watched the fire dwindle and dwindle until it extinguished itself. He was glad that there was no wind tonight because he would’ve just fucking started erupting into tears right then and there if the wind blew the ashes away. 

But still, after the fire dwindled into just a bare cinder among a heap of glittering ashes, Sehun cried. 

He cried for all the times that he didn’t get to spend with Jongdae and all the things Jongdae would never get to see. And he cried thinking about brilliant Jongdae, hellish Jongdae, dazzling Jongdae. Jongdae who lit up the night sky with his smile and his glowing wings. Jongdae who ignited such a bright, burning vivacity in Sehun, Jongdae who was seared so deeply in Sehun’s heart. 

Jongdae who died to save. 

Jongdae. 

But suddenly the little cinders started crackling and burning bigger and bigger and bigger, and Sehun quickly wiped his tears away just to make sure he wasn’t envisioning things. 

And suddenly the fire started growing and spreading so rapidly and wildly until Sehun was forced to step back as they grew too big and too tall, teasing the very top of the bridge. A few cars around him kept driving onwards, and no one stopped to look. Only Sehun stood before the flames, clasping his hands together as he wished, desperately wished that this was it. 

_Please, please, please._

And in a blink of an eye, a figure emerged from the fire burning even more brilliantly than before. 

“Did you really miss me that much?” someone called out.

Sehun was wordless…speechless…absolutely speechless for about a split second before he shouted out, half laughed, half cried. 

“ _Jongdae_ ,” he called in relief before he rushed towards the flames to embrace Jongdae. 

“Don’t do that again. Don’t leave me again,” he said, trembling as he felt Jongdae and his wings and his arms around him. 

“I don’t plan on disappearing again,” Jongdae gently reassured Sehun, “Not when there’s so many things to do, to see, and so much more time to spend with you and making sure you don’t fucking _die_.”

And then Jongdae released Sehun so he could take a good, long look at him. Suddenly Sehun was breathless because Jongdae was beautiful, shining even more brightly than normal. 

“A whole new world to see, Jongdae. Are you ready?” Sehun asked. 

“Watch us travel to every place. Watch us see everything,” Jongdae clapped his hands, “Watch us live.”

Sehun watched as Jongdae pressed a kiss to his cheek before excitedly leaping into the air and flying around excitedly, illuminating the darkness with his wings. But Sehun could only let out a shout as Jongdae suddenly dissolved, melted into pure glowing fire as he streaked across the horizon. But from the fire, a single image of a magnificent bird formed as it flew around the sky. 

“Jongdae,” Sehun awe-struckedly called out, his heart beating wildly as the reflection of the flames danced in his gaze, “What are you? What even _are_ you?” 

And suddenly the bird shifted back into Jongdae as he knew him, Jongdae with his burning, fiery wings. 

“I figured it out, Sehun,” Jongdae laughed as embers burst in the air and rained upon Sehun. But the flames didn’t burn Sehun. They never did. “I’m a _firebird_!”

“A phoenix!”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments here or on [LJ](http://exotales.livejournal.com/2223.html) to support the author!


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